The Fidelity Crisis
by 123justafan
Summary: Just after The Occupation Recalibration. Penny decides she needs to put all her efforts into seeing if she can make it as an actress. Leonard tries his best to support her efforts. Can long distance relationships work for the two of them? Mainly L/P but the others will appear as necessary.
1. Chapter 1

**Just wondering what would happen if Penny quit the Cheesecake Factory.**

**I own nothing**

Penny looks straight into Leonard's eyes and holds his hands tightly. "Leonard, we've been through this…. I HAVE to try… Why can't you understand?"

Leonard looks back with moistening eyes. "I do understand…. but… New York? Why New York? How are you going to pay your bills? You don't know anyone. Who's going to take care of you?" The last question he said with his words trailing off.

Penny let go of Leonard's hands and stood from her couch and walked to the kitchen. "That's part of the problem Leonard… I used to think that you didn't trust me… now you just don't think I can DO THIS…. You don't think I'm good enough…."

Leonard walked up behind her and put a hand on her shoulder trying to stop her from walking away. "I do… I do think you are good enough it's just…"

Penny spun around. "It's just WHAT Leonard? You said I wasn't good enough to make it and then you basically lied to me when you said it was a good idea for me to quit my job at the restaurant. You have no faith in me at all… I'm not just a pretty face you know… Sure I have made some pretty shitty decisions in the past about boyfriends and living with Kurt and stuff, but I always thought I could make it. Maybe I AM going to make it in acting, and maybe I'm NOT…. But one thing is for sure… I won't know unless I try and if it has to be in New York…. Then it has to be in New York!"

Leonard was a little surprised at her harsh tone. "But Penny…."

Penny continued. "Look…. Leonard… I don't have it all figured out…. But I HAVE to DO this… I have some money, not a lot… but some… "

Leonard looked down. "I can give you some… I really want to help…"

Penny was a little angry. "Dammit Leonard… This is something I have to do… ME… This is MY thing… I'm not just the pretty girl across the hall that can't pay her bills again… You need to stop controlling what I can and can't do… You're not my father…" Penny immediately regretted the last sentence.

Leonard pulled Penny into a hug. "Penny… I don't think that… I'm not trying to control anything. I can't help it if I worry about you. I want to help… All the things you think… my problems are not about you… It's not that I don't trust you… It's always been about me being insecure, not understanding why someone like you could possibly want to be with someone like me… It's not that I think that you aren't good enough…. I just look at the Odds of making it in a field like acting and…. I just don't want you to be hurt… I've seen how it has been lately for you…. You get really depressed if you don't get the part, and then the last one… they cut your scene even after they shot it…. You were devastated… Penny…. You weren't yourself… you were grasping at straws… you asked…"

Penny pushed away. "Ugh… Leonard, I know what I was like….. I know what it feels like... Do you? Huh? Do you? You go to work every day, play in your lab with your little lasers and stuff and things work out or they don't. It doesn't even matter if they don't…. That's something that happens all the time… Yes, I asked you to marry me… and yes, I probably shouldn't have because I was drinking… and yes, you did the right thing by saying 'uuhhhmmmmm' … but Leonard, I don't have any feeling of accomplishment … at ANYTHING!"

Leonard looked hurt. "Anything? Really Penny? I thought that we really have something here".

Penny softened at his remark. "Oh Sweetie… You know what I meant…. Leonard I LOVE you… I didn't mean us… you know that right?"

Leonard looked back. "Yeah… I'm sorry, but why do you have to go?"

Penny slumped onto the couch. "Leonard this is so hard… why can't you accept this? Why is this so different from when you went on your boat trip? You were away for four months! Do you think that was easy on me? I missed you so much. But I was still here when you got back… think of it like that… it isn't forever… I just need to do this… I need to find out what I have inside me…. Why do you think that I have such issues with commitment? I look at all you guys and see that you are all doing what you want, where you want and are with who you want to be with…. And here I am… just waiting tables…. I hate that. I want to be good at what I do…. I want to be proud of what I do… and I want you to be proud of me too".

Leonard sat beside her. "I hear all the words and I get it. But when I went to the North Sea, there was an end. I was coming back. When I left, it hurt me too. I missed you so much too. It was hard for me too. But you knew that I was coming back. When I was coming back…. And I AM proud of you…What happens if you do make it in New York… Will you come back? Will there be anything for you here that will make you want to come back?"

Penny was now getting tired of the discussion. "So now you're afraid that I am TOO GOOD? That I might actually have enough talent to make it in New York? Leonard…. We have something really good here between us…. I don't want to do anything to hurt that… but I NEED to do this…."

Leonard tried to pull Penny into a hug, but she resisted. "Penny, I don't want to hurt us either, but there must be something that you can do here in LA".

Penny got up off the couch. "Leonard, I have gone on every audition I could fit into my schedule for the past seven years, and all it got me was one commercial…. ONE!... I can't talk about this anymore Leonard. We both need to think about this…. I'll see you tomorrow maybe".

Leonard could see that nothing was going to be decided if he stayed. "OK…. OK… tomorrow… maybe we could just go for a movie … or dinner…."

Penny walked to the door and opened it. "We'll see… I'll come over…. Or call you…."

Leonard walked out the door and over to 4A, listening to Penny's door close softly behind him.


	2. Chapter 2

**Wow, thanks for the reviews. I hope I don't disappoint you. The ride may be bumpy.**

**I own nothing**

Penny closed her door and quietly slid down the inside. She was really tired out from the discussion with Leonard. She really wanted to have him understand why she needed to make this move. It was for him as much as it was for her. She just wasn't sure if he really understood that point. Penny sat with her knees up to her chin and wrapped her arms around her legs. She could hear the door to 4A close and she was sure that Leonard was hurt by the way the conversation ended. Penny put her head down into her knees and softly started to cry.

* * *

Leonard closed the door and saw that Sheldon was sitting at his desk typing into his lap top. Leonard was thankful that he would not have to discuss anything with his roommate. He gathered himself and walked quickly behind Sheldon through the living room. "I have a headache Sheldon, I'm going to lie down for a while". Leonard went to the refrigerator and retrieved a bottle of water before going to his room.

Sheldon sat at his computer not turning his head to even acknowledge Leonard's words. "Rest well Leonard" was his only response. Hearing Leonard sigh, Sheldon sat up and turned to look as Leonard went down the hall. Sheldon had heard some of the discussion across the hall when it became a little too loud. He was concerned that the discussion was the root of Leonard's headache, but did not want to cause any more discomfort. He had learned from the many years living with Leonard that when he had an encounter with Penny that caused Leonard to develop a headache, it was better to let him be.

Leonard went to the bathroom to get some aspirin and took two tablets with a mouthful of water. He then went to his room and flopped down on his bed. Kicking off his sneakers and shedding his jacket, he curled up in the bed in his boxers and t-shirt. Leonard tried to think of what was going to happen. Was he being too possessive? Didn't he just leave her to follow a dream? Wasn't it difficult for the two of them when they were apart? He never brought up the possibility of being asked on another expedition even though it was offered to him. He just couldn't bring himself to be apart from Penny any longer. It was too hard for him. He pulled a pillow close to him. It was at this moment that he realized that it was the pillow that Penny slept on. He could smell her Green Apple shampoo and her vanilla oil moisturizer. Leonard pulled the pillow closer in front of him and rested his head on his pillow. He took long slow breaths inhaling the scent of Penny trying to calm his nerves and trying to fall asleep.

* * *

Penny gathered herself and went to the bathroom. She decided that she needed to calm herself before trying to sleep. She filled the tub with nice warm water and Bubble Bath. She shed her clothes and slid into the water trying to forget all the words she had said to Leonard that she knew were probably eating him up. She wanted to make sure that he was OK with the decision she had made because if he wasn't, he would internalize the situation and blame the fact she left on himself because she thought he had no faith in her.

Penny climbed out of the tub and dried herself off. She went into her room and put on a pair of soft sleep shorts and a light camisole. She went back into the bathroom and brushed her teeth and combed out her hair, all the time thinking about Leonard. She was more awake than she thought she would be so she went to the living room and sat on the corner of the couch wrapped in an afghan and turned on the television and flipped through the channels. She could find nothing that she could settle on. She passed by an infomercial on of all things, the 'snuggie'. She quickly turned the channel to find Dr. Who.

At this point, Penny couldn't help but give in to the thoughts of Leonard and what he was trying to say to her. It was true that she felt she needs to do SOMETHING about her career. She simply felt that she had accomplished nothing and has made nothing of herself after years of trying. But she also knew that being away from Leonard was going to be heartbreaking. When she was alone for three months while he was at the North Pole, it was difficult for her. She spent almost the entire time sorting out her feelings for him. When he got back, she practically knocked him over when she jumped into his arms and planted a kiss on his lips he was clearly not expecting. When he was with Priya for eight months, she thought she would die. She started to drink heavily and only with the help of Amy and Bernadette did she make it. When Leonard went to the North Sea, things were worse than ever. The only saving grace was the fact that their friends were still around. Again, she leaned on Amy and Bernadette for support. But the biggest help was from Sheldon. All his needs and quirks kept her occupied until Leonard came back.

This experiment of hers to try her luck in New York could have the same effect on Leonard. It could be devastating to him. The last thing she wants to do is hurt Leonard. She can still feel the loneliness without him. She feels it when he goes off to one of his stupid Comic Conventions. Even though they do not spend every night together, she always feels better knowing that he is right across the hall.

* * *

Penny starts to nod off and goes to the bedroom. She crawls into bed and turns to face the door and lets out a deep sigh. She feels a little cold and reaches behind her to find an empty bed. She realizes that Leonard is not there. Penny sits up in bed and puts her head in her hands. She gets up and goes to the living room and finds her spare key to 4A. Penny goes across the hall and quietly opens the door. Penny knew she needed Leonard tonight, but was she making a mistake? Would this just hurt Leonard more? She tip toes across the living room and down the hall past Sheldon's room stopping in front of Leonard's door.

Penny takes a deep breath and opens the door and sees Leonard in the bed, the moonlight streaming in. Penny closed the door behind her and walked to the window and pulled the curtain shut. Penny then walked over to the bed and climbed in next to Leonard placing her head on the same pillow as his.

Penny gave him a gentle kiss and Leonard stirs. "Penny?"

Penny put a finger to his lips. "Shhh…. No talking". Penny softly kissed Leonard's face on both cheeks and pushed him onto his back, straddling his hips. She pulled her top over her head and does the same to his t-shirt.

Leonard looked up at Penny and placed his hands on her rib cage just below her breasts. Penny closed her eyes and smiled as she started to gyrate her hips. Leonard moved his hands down to her hips and started to pull down her shorts noticing that she was not wearing any panties. Penny smiled down at him feeling the pleasing effects of rubbing herself along him with the thin layers of her shorts and his boxers between them. It had been since High School that Penny had given a guy such a treatment. Penny put both hands on Leonard's shoulders and leaned in so he had full access to her breasts with his willing tongue. Leonard eagerly took in her hard left nipple and nibbled with his teeth. This caused Penny to moan quietly. She had every intent to be quiet so Sheldon was not woken up. Penny moved her chest around and Leonard moved to her right breast. Penny sighed deeply.

Penny put her finger to her lips indicating that Leonard should remain quiet and motioned that he stayed as he was. Leonard looked back at her quizzically but agreed. Penny got off Leonard and removed both her shorts and his boxers. Leonard was now really wondering what she had intended. Penny leaned in and made small kisses all around Leonard's groin before straddling him once again. She could feel the excitement and arousal that he contained within him. Leonard moaned and grabbed her hips. Penny reminded him to keep quiet and started to move her hips back and forth slowly not allowing him to enter. Leonard moved his hips in concert with hers while he moved his hands back to her breasts. Penny threw her head back in delight. Their rhythm increased all the while Leonard practically begging entrance. Penny continued to seductively move her hips with longer strokes along him. Leonard started to thrust his hips in an attempt to excite her more. Penny leaned forward laying her chest on his while kissing him deeply, their tongues mingling expertly within their mouths. Leonard put one hand in her hair and the other against the small of her back while she stroked the curls on the back of his head. As Penny brought her hips forward, Leonard thrust deep gaining entrance and the both of them gasped into each other's mouth. Sheldon surely would have been awakened had they not been kissing. Penny rose on her hands to look into Leonard's eyes. Leonard saw the lustful passion Penny had in her eyes. Penny ground her hips quicker drawing him deeper. Leonard quickly turned them over and thrust harder, deeper, quicker. Penny sunk her fingernails onto his back while she bit his shoulder to keep from screaming. Leonard could feel her chest heaving and he knew from her quick gasps she was close to the edge. Leonard thrust harder and deeper holding himself until Penny locked her ankles behind him and pulled him in while bucking her hips. She grabbed him with all her might as he could feel her whole body tremble and spasm. He released within her as he could feel the contractions around him.

They were silent throughout their coupling, no words said between them. They turned to their sides panting to each other, Leonard reaching for his inhaler. Penny pulled the covers up to her shoulders and turned away from Leonard snuggling back into him. She reached back for his hand and put it to her lips and kissed it then grasped it and held it between her breasts over her heart, hoping that what they just did wouldn't make things more awkward and misleading.

The first words spoken by her, "Leonard I Love you… I'm sorry".

Leonard pulled her closer and replied. "I Love you too". Leonard then thought to himself how he would miss this so much.

They drifted off to sleep each hanging on to who they loved the most.


	3. Chapter 3

**Own nothing**

The next two weeks seemed to fly by. Penny contacted her agent and asked if she could cover any possibilities in New York. Her agent said she would not be any real help but gave Penny the number of a friend of hers that probably would be available.

Leonard was supportive and tried to look as happy as he could on the outside while feeling more and more anxious on the inside.

Penny was starting to get excited for her big try at acting but was conflicted about her change because of the effect it would have on their relationship. Penny had accepted some help from Leonard in order to keep her apartment. They spent all their nights together sometimes in silence, each trying to not upset the other.

They were sitting on Penny's couch watching one of her chick flicks, Penny at one side of the couch and Leonard at the other paying more attention to his lap top than the movie. Penny spoke first. "Sweetie, do you want to do something special tomorrow?"

Leonard responded without looking up from his screen. "Whatever you would like to do".

Penny kicked him in the thigh. "Dammit Leonard, I'm asking you a question. The least you could do is pay some attention to me! I'm leaving the day after tomorrow…."

Leonard put his lap top on the coffee table and rubbed the palms of his hands on his legs. "What do you want me to say Penny? I'm trying to be supportive. I know you're leaving".

Penny got up and moved to the window by the dining table. "I want you to say what you WANT! What you would like to do… If you want to do anything…. We've been tip toeing around each other for the last couple of weeks. Afraid to say anything to each other… Is this the way you want our last day to be?"

Leonard stood and moved over to the window alongside her. "Our last day…. Interesting choice of words…"

Leonard saw the look in her eyes at that last remark. He shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Sorry… Penny, I don't know what to say to you…. I have been walking on egg shells the last couple of weeks. I have tried to help where I can and I am still trying to accept that you are going away. I REALIZE that you are going, and I think that I have come to understand that you are going and WHY you have to go… And I am really proud that you are doing this for yourself. But I still have trouble ACCEPTING that you will not be here."

Leonard stepped behind her and rubbed Penny's shoulders as she leaned back into him. "What do I want to do? I want to wake up early by the sound of the morning-doves…. Have coffee on the roof as the sun comes up over the buildings…. Walk in the park holding your hand…. Feed the ducks in the pond and have a picnic lunch in the field….. I want to walk through Old Town and go shopping at the boutiques…. Stop for dinner at a fancy restaurant on the beach and watch the sun set out in the ocean while walking barefoot in the surf …. Never once letting you out of my sight or out of my arms….. And then I would try once last time to make you stay."

Penny turned to him. "Leonard… you had me right up to the end. You still don't get it… This isn't just for me…. This is for US too… maybe I just need to get it out of my system…. Maybe there isn't that much time left…. Let's face it… I'm twenty seven years old… There aren't that many good roles for women in Hollywood. That's one of the reasons I need to go to New York… And even there… Most of the shows are musicals…. Don't you see? The whole world is moving on a fast track and I'm just here watching it go by…."

Leonard pulled her back in for a hug. "Penny, please let's not do this again… I do get it… I'm just not as strong as you… I'll be OK… I'll visit… We can Skype and stuff…. I just don't want to fight anymore…."

Penny put her head on his shoulder, "OK deal! No more fighting… If I don't get it going.. I swear, I'll come right back. Now, what were you saying about waking up early?"

Penny spent the night wrapped tenderly in Leonard's arms. They had made tender love and drifted off to sleep, Penny before Leonard. Leonard listening to her breathing get deeper until there were the telltale signs of her soft snores. He loved listening to her sleep and held her just a little tighter as he too slipped off sleep dreaming of the day that they had met.

* * *

The morning had come far too quickly for Leonard's liking, woken by the sound of cars honking horns outside the window. Apparently there was an accident at the corner of Los Robles and Colorado Boulevard and there were some very impatient motorists.

Leonard unwound himself from Penny and made his way around the bed to his Robe passing the window to see what the commotion was going on outside. He couldn't see much except that it was pouring rain. Here he was, living in Southern California, the sunshine capital of the world and the last day that he was going to be having with Penny, and it was raining…. All he could think of was "There goes the sunrise coffee on the roof".

Leonard made his way out to the kitchen and put on the coffee as Penny stirred and followed the smell of the morning nectar of the gods. "Morning Sweetie". She sat down on one of the stools after she gave Leonard a soft kiss.

Leonard poured two cups of coffee and handed one to Penny, smiling at her as he pulled out a sheet of paper and drew a sun on it with a few buildings below it. He then reached into a drawer and pulled out some tape and taped the sun to the refrigerator.

Penn looked quizzically at him holding her mug with both hands. "What's that for?"

Leonard took a sip of coffee and answered. "Sunrise…. Up on the roof… It's raining…. And I didn't want your morning to be ruined".

Penny got off the stool, put her coffee down and walked over to Leonard placing her arms around his neck and giving him a deep kiss and put her head on his shoulder. "Awww… a little rain couldn't possibly ruin my day… I'm spending it with you….."

Leonard returned the hug and smiled, kissing Penny on the top of her head. 'That's good, cause it's supposed to stop and we have some ducks to feed…."

Just then, Penny's phone rang. She pulled it out of the pocket in her robe. "Hello?... Yes…. This is she….. Oh, hi!... Yes, Beth said you would be calling….. Um…. Sure…. I guess…. They aren't all that current though…. Well, I could… I'll have to call around….. I guess I could get them out…. OK… Thanks, Bye"

Leonard took another sip of his coffee. "What was that all about?"

Penny was a little animated. She gave him a quick peck on the cheek. "That was my new agent in New York… She wants me to send her some Head Shots. She thinks that there may be something opening soon and she needs something to pass around! The ones I have now are too old, so she asked if I could get some new ones, so I have to get them taken today!.. I have to make some calls…. This is so exciting!" Penny then moved to the couch and started to make some calls.

Leonard took another sip of coffee. He quietly thought to himself. "So much for the Ducks".


	4. Chapter 4

**The best laid plans of mice and men, rarely go as planned**

**Still own nothing**

The rest of the morning was like a whirlwind for Penny. She made a bunch of calls to photographers she knew that handled Head Shots and made sure that she could get them done in the morning and have them ready to be shipped out FedEx overnight to her new Agent. She quickly went to take a shower. "Sweetie, would you like to join me?"

Leonard looked surprised at the question. "Are you sure you won't be late for your appointment?"

Penny got off the couch and passed by Leonard quickly pecking him on the lips. "I guess you're right…. I'll give you a call as soon as I'm done and we can take that walk in the park". Penny then went across to her apartment to get ready for the photographer.

Sheldon came out of his bedroom and down the hall as Penny closed the door behind her. "Morning Leonard, was that Penny leaving? It's a bit early for her to do that… You two usually spend time wasting fawning over each other until noon".

Leonard looked at his roommate and just smiled. 'Yeah, well… not today Sheldon, Penny has to have some NEW photographs taken of herself so she can get them to her NEW agent in NEW York." Leonard then collected the coffee mugs and set them in the sink before going back to his room to get ready for the day. He still had hopes of spending the day with Penny and making sure she knew he was proud of her and supported her.

Leonard busied himself throughout the morning with looking over some new papers he had received for a promising new experiment from one of the colleagues he had worked with on the North Sea Expedition.

* * *

Penny met with the photographer and couldn't, for the life of her understand why this was taking so long. He was being way to particular about the outfit she had come in with and he made her try on a bunch of different tops insisting that he was getting the right lighting for her and he would get her the right look. It was just past noon when they were finished and Penny had given him all the information he needed to get the photos sent off to New York. Penny then jumped in her car and drove back to the apartment. She really wanted to spend the rest of the day with Leonard and make her leaving the next day just a little more easy on him.

* * *

Leonard was going over one of the papers when he got a call from the University. "Hello.. Yes this is Dr. Hofstadter…. What?... OK…. I'll be right in". Leonard looked over to Sheldon who was working on his lap top. "Sheldon, one of the lasers on the new array is acting up and won't calibrate. I'm going to go in and help with it. If Penny calls, tell her it shouldn't take too long. I'll be right back".

Sheldon looked up. "Leonard, I can't understand for the life of me why you insist on busying yourself with all your tinker toys. But, OK… I got your back Jack".

Leonard picked up his messenger bag and went out the door.

* * *

Penny bounded up the stairs. She wanted to let Leonard know how things went and she really just wanted to spend some time with him. As usual, she opened the door to 4A without knocking and walked in to find Sheldon sitting at his desk. "Leonard? I'm back Sweetie".

Sheldon looked up, "Come in…. it's open…. Oh…. Hello Penny…."

Penny smirked at Sheldon. Not hearing Leonard, she asked, "Cute… Sheldon… Where's Leonard?"

Sheldon did not look up from his computer. "Leonard was called by the University. Apparently, one of his Toys broke and they needed him to go in and help fix it. He indicated that you could stay and wait, he wouldn't be too long".

Penny smiled back at Sheldon. "Welllllll….. as good as that sounds?... I think that I will go and pack up a few things so I won't need to do it later. That way, we won't be interrupted later".

Sheldon snidely replied. "Yessss… interrupted…. We wouldn't want that".

* * *

With that, Penny returned to her apartment and took out a rather large piece of luggage. She proceeded to go through her closet and dresser drawers and filled it with as much as she could safely fit. She didn't want to be caught with the same outfit on for too many auditions just in case the casting people were common between shows. She made sure she had ample quantities of underwear also. She had no real idea where she would be staying or for how long, so she didn't want to have to spend too much on new clothes.

She decided to pack a carry-on piece also with just essentials in case the airline lost her other luggage. She packed a few cute outfits and some nice under things. She went through her drawers and decided to pack some sleep things. When she packed some sleep shorts, she was looking for a few camisoles to put in and came across Leonard's brown Periodic Table T-shirt. She quickly folded it and packed it away. She then packed some other essentials and placed the bags by the front door of her apartment.

* * *

Leonard was in his lab with a few grad students and Barry Kripke. "Barry, this doesn't make any sense, this should have been easier, let's check the mounting pins again." Things were taking much longer than they had anticipated. Leonard kept looking at his watch. He was getting more and more agitated. His whole day planned with Penny was going up in smoke. Coffee on the roof idea was ruined, feeding the ducks and walking in the park were toast, there would be no picnic lunch and now shopping in Old Town was right in the crapper. Just when he thought that things couldn't get any worse, the calibration run passed. Leonard was ecstatic. "Barry, that's it. I'm leaving. I think you can handle the rest". Leonard practically ran out of his lab to his car.

* * *

Penny was sitting in her bedroom when Bernadette and Amy came over. Bernadette smiled and chirped at her. "Come on Penny, Leonard is still at work. Let's go get something to eat. We can call him and let him know where we are." Penny reluctantly followed her friends out of the apartment. She knew that Leonard had wanted to go to have a romantic dinner just for the two of them, but she hadn't heard from him all afternoon or evening. She felt guilty leaving, but was dragged out by her friends.

The three girls pulled up to the Cheesecake Factory. Penny looked at Amy as she parked the car. "Really… Guys… This place?"

Bernadette leaned forward from the back seat. "Oh come on, one last time just for fun". They got out of the car and went into the restaurant and Bernadette lead them back to one of the semi-private rooms people used for parties. The room was crowded with all her friends. Howard, Raj, Sheldon, Cheryl, Kim, some friends from her acting class and some friends from her classes at college. They all stood and yelled "SURPRISE".

Penny put a hand to her mouth and started to tear up. Amy looked at her. "Bestie, you didn't think we were going to let you leave without saying goodbye did you?"

Penny scanned the crowd. "Where's Leonard?"

* * *

Leonard raced home as fast as he could. He had the perfect dinner planned. He had made reservations at an Italian bistro at the beach. It was one of Penny's favorite places to eat. It was next to a club that he was going to ask if she wanted to go dancing at after dinner and then they could walk on the beach in the surf. As he got to the fourth floor, he went into 4A and called for Sheldon. Nobody was home. He went across the hall to 4B and opened the door with his spare key. He opened the door to find the lights off and no one home. His phone buzzed and he pulled it out of his pocket and saw a text from Bernadette.

**We're at the Cheesecake Factory. Having a little going away for Penny**

Leonard quickly closed his phone and sighed. "No romantic dinner… This day keeps getting better and better".

* * *

Leonard got to the Cheesecake Factory and thought to himself that maybe he could get Penny to go with him. He was told where the party was by the hostess. Leonard quickly went to the room and stood by the door. Penny was across the room with a group of her girlfriends smiling widely and laughing to some conversation they were having. Leonard just stood in the door and gazed at Penny. He hadn't seen her this happy in quite a while. She was so depressed after they cancelled her scene on NCIS. Then she quit her job and things were so different for her and between them. She was nervous about making such a big change. All he could see in her face now was happiness and excitement. How could he NOT let her chase her dreams? She was so beautiful. Leonard slowly made his way across the room and stood beside her and put an arm around her waist and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

Penny turned to him. "Sweetie, you made it, I'm sorry... this isn't what you had planned!" She then gave him a quick hug and then was quickly pulled away by one of her girlfriends.

Leonard smiled thoughtfully, watched her go and went over to talk with Howard, Raj and Sheldon.


	5. Chapter 5

**Penny seems to be taking a beating in the reviews. Perhaps undeservedly**

**I own nothing**

During the ride back to the apartment Penny had been very quiet. She just held Leonard's right hand as he drove home.

When they got to her apartment, Penny quickly ushered him to the bedroom, turned and gave Leonard a passionate kiss. As they pulled away, Leonard smiled wickedly at Penny and they shed their clothes. Laying down under the covers, Penny first wanted to just cuddle so Leonard let her lay her head on his shoulder as he drew circles on her bare back with his fingers. Penny said nothing but rubbed Leonard's chest and stomach softly. She stopped after a while and Leonard had thought that she had fallen asleep until he felt a warm moisture on his chest.

Leonard moved his hand to the side of Penny's face. "Penny… Honey… are you crying?"

Penny sniffled quietly, "N… No…."

Leonard smiled and sat up taking Penny's chin in his hand and looking down at her watery eyes. "Sweetheart, what's wrong?"

Penny sat up next to him and pulled the sheet over her chest. "Leonard… I don't know if I can do this…. I'm going to miss this so much… Just being here with you… so close…. What am I going to do?"

Leonard put his arm around Penny's shoulder and she leaned on his chest. "Penny… this is your dream…. This is a shot that you want to take".

Penny looked into his eyes with an almost pleading expression. "I'm afraid Leonard…."

Leonard looked into her eyes with a soft look and a smile. "Afraid of what?"

Penny put her head below Leonard's chin and listened to his heartbeat. "Afraid that I'm not good enough, afraid that after all the time, I'll find out that it has been a waste, afraid of screwing us up again, afraid of losing what we have, afraid of losing you".

Leonard put both arms around her and kissed her head. "Penny…. You're being insecure again and that's my gig. You really need to stop stealing my material. You are good enough. We have all seen you acting and we all think you're great. This is just a tough thing that you are trying to do. You have kept at it longer than I or anyone else would have. That doesn't mean it's a waste. It means that you have conviction and desire. As for us…. Don't you ever worry about us…. I love you so much…. And I always will."

Penny turned to face Leonard and kissed him deeply and passionately. She moved them down so they were lying together. They then enjoyed each others close comfortable company as intimately as they ever had in the past. Not loud and raucous, but long and tenderly, falling asleep in each others arms.

* * *

The next morning, Leonard woke and felt a little cold as he woke up. He opened his eyes and found that Penny was not in bed. He thought back to the party and how happy she was that her friends thought that much of her to give her a going away party. He thought back to the ride home and the conversation they had had about her fears. He then thought about what had gone on between them before they fell asleep.

As Leonard was lost in thought, Penny came into the bedroom wearing the light blue dress shirt that Leonard had given to her stating that "That shirt fits you way better than me, and I can never seem to concentrate on anything when I wear it." Penny's tanned legs were barely covered by the shirt and the top buttons were undone so you could see clearly that she had no underclothes on whatsoever. She carried a tray of French toast, bacon and two cups of coffee. "Here ya go Sweetie…. Breakfast in bed for the best most understanding boyfriend anywhere".

Leonard sat up and put on his glasses. Smiling, he laughed. "Thank you….. come here".

Penny crawled under the covers and they ate breakfast talking about trivial things like what had happened with their friends over the years. Penny then shed the shirt and took Leonard's face between her hands kissing him and then seducing him once again.

Packing was pretty much done the day before so they just needed to shower and get ready. Penny said they should probably shower apart or they would probably never make the flight. Leonard smiled and agreed. He gave Penny a quick kiss and went off to 4A to shower. Penny waited just a few minutes and then followed. She wanted to leave something for Leonard and she didn't want him to see it before she left. She went into his bedroom and quickly came out after placing it away. As she passed the kitchen, she noticed the picture of the sun and buildings that Leonard had drawn the day before. She quickly took the picture off the refrigerator and folded it neatly and went back to her apartment to take her shower.

* * *

Penny's flight was coming up and the whole group went to see her off. Amy drove and made sure Sheldon was in her car. Leonard did not want a repeat of the fiasco with Sheldon when Penny left Leonard off at the airport before his North Sea expedition.

Penny was standing by the security gate nervously shaking.

Bernadette and Amy had given her big hugs and well wishes.

Howard although better than when they first met, hugged Penny just a little too long for Bernadette's liking and was given a slap on the back of the head by his diminutive wife.

Raj was a total mess, which was not much better for Penny. They hugged and Raj didn't say another word. Not because of his mutism, but because he was literally choked up with grief at seeing Penny leave.

Sheldon walked shyly over to Penny and put his hand out for a goodbye handshake. "Congratulations Penny, Have a safe trip and Good Luc… OOF".

Penny would have nothing of the handshake. She literally grabbed hold of Sheldon and gave him a Nebraskan Bear Hug. "Thanks Moonpie" Penny managed to squeak out between tears and then gave him a kiss on the cheek.

The group thought that it would be better for Leonard and Penny to have a few minutes alone so they politely waved goodbye and went home.

Leonard stood quietly by, watching Penny say goodbye to their friends. When they left, Penny turned to Leonard and took him into a hug that she didn't want to end. "Leonard… I'll call every night…. And we can Skype like we did when you were away… it'll be easier because It's only three hours difference…. And I'll be back on weekends if I don't land anything right away…. And you can come and visit…. And if I get something…. You can come see me in it…." Penny was full out crying at this point.

Leonard just held her tight. He wanted to be strong for her and he tried not to cry along with her. His eyes were filling with tears as he lifted her chin. "We will do all of those things. Now you better get going or we're going to have to go through all this again tomorrow."

Penny looked into his beautiful brown eyes and practically slammed her lips onto his. The kiss lasted longer than they had anticipated and the boarding call sounded overhead. Penny pulled away and looked at Leonard and with a conviction she rarely showed... spoke. "Leonard Hofstadter… I Love You…"

Leonard pulled her in for one last hug. "I Love You too"

Penny then took her carry-on and passed through the security gate and turned to wave goodbye blowing Leonard a kiss before turning and going to the gate.

Leonard stood and watched until he could not see her any longer and then stayed and watched the spot where he last saw her, finally turning to go home.

* * *

When he parked his car at the apartment, Leonard couldn't bring himself to go up the stairs right away. He got out of his car and walked to the park and sat on a bench by the duck pond and looked out onto the pond, tears welling in his eyes.


	6. Chapter 6

**I would like to address a Guest Review. It seems that I have been accused of wanting only positive reviews. In fact, I have yet to deny any review positive or negative. Whether they are in concert with where the story goes or where it might not. Anyone can post a review and they all have been posted. I merely stated an observation of a trend. **

**Anyway, we continue... **

**The Journey begins**

**I own nothing**

Penny sat in the window seat looking out over the expanse of the ground passing under the plane to New York. The airline had a computer graphic on the seat back in front of them that displayed where the plane was in flight over the United States. Penny glanced to the display and could see they were over the middle of the country. She thought they would be around the Iowa, Nebraska area. Penny thought back to her childhood dreams of making it in Hollywood, of becoming a star. She thought of what she had done to try to make those dreams a reality. She had left Omaha pretty much against the will of her parents. She had moved in with Kurt to afford to be able to go to as many auditions as she could. She even signed on for that Serial Apist low budget skin flick. When she found that Kurt was cheating on her, she moved to her Los Robles apartment and had to increase her shifts at the Cheesecake Factory in order to make ends meet. She had even relied on Leonard's good nature to help her out so she didn't have to lose out on so many auditions.

Leonard…. He was quite frankly the best thing that she could think of that happened to her in her time in Pasadena. She loved him and she truly hoped he realized that she needed to make this trip to New York and give her career one last try.

New York…. She was actually kind of excited as well as terrified of what was going to happen. She didn't know anyone. Penny had never been to New York before. She was so glad that her agent in Pasadena set her up with a new one in New York. Her new agent helped her out and found an affordable subsidized apartment through The Actors Fund. If she could make something of herself, she would look for something better. She was set up for a few OFF… OFF … Broadway auditions when she got there. Her agent also said that there may be some small modeling gigs. The convention season was coming up and the promoters were always looking for some eye candy.

Penny was sitting next to a smartly dressed guy in his middle thirties. She was not really in the mood for chit chat, but when she turned her attention away from the window, he had seen his chance. "Hi, my names Chuck, you look a little nervous. Is this your first flight?"

Penny thought that trying to be distant was going to be more trouble than it was worth and maybe the trip would seem to go faster if she could get her mind of Pasadena and what and more importantly WHO she had left behind. "I'm Penny… no… not my first, but my first to New York."

Chuck smiled. "Family"?

Penny smiled thinking that it was a good thing she was an actress. "No… Professional… I'm on the way for an audition to a Play".

Chuck thought that he had an in on this one. "Really? I know a couple of casting directors I could set you up with".

Penny was now getting a little annoyed. "Yeah, I'll bet you do, complete with casting couches too, I'll bet".

Chuck looked surprised. "That obvious huh?"

Penny smirked. "Look, this isn't my first trip around the barn. I've been out here in LA for a while and I could have settled for stuff like that but I happen to think I'm a bit better than your typical dumb Blonde".

Chuck sat up. "Look, no offense OK? This is going to be a long flight and I thought we would hit it off. You're pretty hot, and I thought … well… you know".

Penny just looked at him. "OK, I don't want it to get uncomfortable. We have half the country to go. So… truce. Let's just let it go. And for your information, I have a boyfriend and I'm not looking for another."

Chuck held out his hand and smiled. "Fair enough… Hi, I'm Chuck".

Penny shook his hand. "Penny…. Nice to meet you".

For the remainder of the trip, their conversation was both light and amusing. Penny explained why she was headed for New York and Chuck told her he was in banking. They exchanged the general pleasantries about where they had grown up and what they were hoping for in at least the near future.

Chuck put his tray up and turned to Penny. "Now, this is totally legit. I don't know any casting directors, but my roommate is a stage hand around town. He has been in the business for a while and he may know the ins and outs of the local scene. I could ask if he knows anything is going to happen if you like? How about we meet for a quick bite tonight?"

Penny was a bit hesitant, but agreed to meet in Times Square. She really didn't know anything about the city so she just picked the name of a place where she would know that wasn't anywhere around her apartment. "Well, OK…. What about Times Square… And just so you know… I can take care of myself".

Chuck answered. "Penny… I'm sorry for before, I swear… this is just a bite to eat. I'm sure my roommate will be just as wary to meet as you. Let's meet at The Hard Rock Café. That way, you won't have to look too hard to find us."

Penny thought that was a fair arrangement. She was still a little bit nervous about the big city and the "come on" by Chuck earlier, so she didn't really know if she could trust him. It had been a while since she had been out alone and with complete strangers, but she thought she would give it a shot. "OK, that seems like a good place. I have to meet with my agent, she's picking me up at the airport and then I need to get to my apartment first and then figure out how to get to Times Square, but that seems fine."

Chuck smiled. "Great! My roommate is picking me up and I'll let him know what the plans are."

The rest of the flight continued on with the same kind of light conversation, each of them becoming more comfortable with the other.


	7. Chapter 7

**Still Own nothing**

Leonard had made his way back to the apartment. He had calmed down and resolved to himself that there was nothing that he could do to change what had happened in the last couple of weeks. Penny was now in New York and she would see what she was made of. Leonard was coming to grips with the fact she needed to leave in order to make their relationship stronger.

When he opened the door to 4A, Sheldon, Amy, Raj, Howard and Bernadette were all there with Chinese takeout. Leonard went over to his chair and sat opening a carton of food that they had gotten him. Sheldon had ordered it or him because Leonard seemed to order it all the time. It was General Tso's Chicken. Actually, Leonard much preferred other things. He had taken to ordering General Tso's because it was Penny's favorite and Leonard always wanted there to be some leftovers in the fridge for when Penny would be working late and pop in and steal some food. He looked down at his plate and smiled softly thinking about Penny.

Bernadette got up and went to the fridge for a bottle of water and brought one for Leonard. She set it down while sitting in the wooden chair set up next to his chair. It was the chair Penny would always sit in for dinner. Leonard looked over at Bernadette and smiled. "Thanks Bernadette".

Bernadette smiled back and could see the loneliness that had taken residence in Leonard's eyes. "You doin OK?" Bernadette reached over and put her hand on Leonard's arm. Everyone else stopped talking and were just watching Leonard and listening for his answer. It had created a slightly uncomfortable situation.

Leonard looked from Bernadette to the rest of his friends, noticing the concern in their expressions. "I'm fine…. Really… no need to worry… everything will be just fine. Penny said she would call when she got settled."

The rest of the dinner conversation seemed to get back to normal with Sheldon starting conversations about little known facts and everyone putting in their opinions. All of which were discounted by Sheldon for one reason or another. After dinner was over the guys set up the video game console and started to play.

Bernadette looked at Amy. "Wanna go over to Penny's and have a glass of wine? She asked if I would look after her plants". Leonard looked up quickly at the mention of Penny's name and then was brought back to the video game by one of Sheldon's remarks chiding him for failing to cover his back as Howard managed to blow Sheldon to pieces.

Amy saw the look on Leonard's face and turned to Bernadette. "Sure, let's go and see if we can rescue whatever flora Penny has decided to stretch the boundaries of acceptable hydration". With that, Bernadette and Amy left for 4B.

Bernadette opened the door and walked over to the fridge for the opened bottle of wine that was still there from a few days before. Taped to the bottle was a note from Penny. Bernadette took the bottle of wine out of the fridge, took the note off, poured two glasses and brought them to the couch. Amy was waiting sitting on the couch in the spot closest to the door. It was where Penny often sat. "Is that a note"?

Bernadette handed a glass of wine to Amy. "Yes, it's from Penny". Bernadette put down her wine and unfolded the note. On the outside of the note it was simply addressed

**"To the Best Girlfriends there EVER were"**

Bernadette looked at Amy with a tear in her eye. Amy responded in kind. "Read it, I think she would like us to".

Bernadette cleared her throat.

**"Bernadette and Amy, I can't tell you how much that you mean to me and how much I am going to miss you and hanging out with you. I have really come to appreciate how much we rely on each other so we could better deal with and understand those wonderful guys across the hall that are undoubtedly caught up in some stupid science fiction, comic or video game. Without your help and support, I'm sure I would have killed at least one of them by now".**

Bernadette looked up at Amy. Amy smiled, "Sheldon no doubt".

Bernadette continued:

**"It's really hard for me to say this, but without your support, I don't think that I could have made this decision. I hope that things aren't too sad. Don't think of it as us being apart, because for me, I have you right here in my heart. Don't be surprised if I give you a call every now and again just to recharge."**

Bernadette's voice cracked just a little and she took a sip of wine.

**"I have a big favor to ask and I hope you will help me out with it. Leonard is probably going to take this a little badly. We have talked it out and I think that he really does understand why I'm doing this, but he probably won't deal with it too well. Please look after him for me and give him a hug for me every now and then just to let him know someone cares. He really is a special guy and I do Love him so much. So please take care of him for me. I'll see you guys in a few weeks. After I've been here I will know better what I need and I can come and get some stuff. I'm glad you found this note, so here's to us… Another great Ladies Night. I miss you guys more than you could ever imagine. Hugs All Around Penny"**

Bernadette put the note down on the coffee table and looked at Amy. They were both crying. Amy raised her glass. "To Bestie… Good luck and God's speed".

After a little talk of what it would be like without Penny, the girls tidied up the apartment, watered the plants and went back to 4A. Before she left and locked the door, Bernadette took the note that Penny had left and slipped it into her purse.

The girls opened the door to 4A to find the guys putting away the video games. Howard and Raj were saying that they should probably get going. Leonard was standing by the TV winding up some controllers.

Bernadette and Amy rushed over to him and wrapped him in a group hug as the other guys in the apartment just looked on.


	8. Chapter 8

**Penny starts to settle in**

**I own nothing**

The plane landed and Chuck went one way seeing that he only had a carry-on piece of luggage. Penny on the other hand had checked two bags having to pay extra for them. She had gathered the two bags and pulled them off to the side and was about to call the number of her agent she had been given… when from behind, she was tapped on the shoulder.

Penny turned to see a tall thin dark haired woman about her own age. "Penny?"

Penny was a little taken aback not really understanding why someone would know her name. She quickly looked at her luggage to see if her name was clearly visible on a name tag. Seeing no apparent reason someone she had never seen before would know her name, Penny hesitantly responded. "Umm…. Yeah?"

The tall woman held out her hand and smiled. "Sheila Silver…. I'm your Agent? We talked on the phone?"

Penny took the offered hand and smiled back. "OHHH…. Sure… Thanks so much for picking me up… Um, how exactly did you know who I was?"

Sheila just giggled. "Head Shots…. You sent them to me? You look a little frazzled."

Penny smiled. "Oh yeah…Head Shots… right… well, to tell you the truth, this is just a tad intimidating. I know I'm coming from LA, but I really started out from Omaha, this is really something. I mean in LA, it's big and all but it's really spread out, and everyone just drives everywhere, the traffic is all crappy, but you really don't have much of a choice, I mean you gotta get to where you gotta go, and I didn't know my way around there when I first got there either, and this is so new…"

Sheila put up her hand. "Woah….. woah…. Woah…. Take a breath every once in a while. I'm sure we'll get to know more about each other. You need to tone it down a bit".

Penny put her had to her mouth. "I'm so sorry, I get that way sometimes when I'm nervous or… you know… drunk".

Sheila nodded. "Yeah, I'll bet. Well, let's get going. I'll show you to your apartment and we can talk a bit there.

Penny picked up one of her bags and Sheila picked up the other. Sheila looked at Penny. "I'm not sure there's enough room in your apartment for the three of you."

Penny just shrugged. "Sorry". They went out to the curb and hailed a cab.

The ride to Penny's building wasn't too long a way, but the traffic was brutal. Sheila and Penny talked a little, but Penny's interest was clearly outside the cab. She was looking at all the traffic and the buildings and everything looked so big.

As they stopped at the building, Sheila paid the driver and turned to Penny. "You're going to have to keep that awe struck thing under control. There are quite a few jerks out there just waiting to prey on innocent people. And let me tell you, they can pick your typical touristy type right out of a crowd in no time, no questions asked."

Penny looked at Sheila "Yeah…. About that…"

They made it up to the apartment and Penny set the things down on the floor by the door and looked around. In order to keep the rent payments low, Sheila set Penny up in a Studio Apartment. You could literally see the whole thing from the front door. At first blush, the best thing Penny could say for it was… it was furnished. The Kitchen was immediately off to the right with a small two seat table next to it. There was a window next to the table that filled the rest of the wall. Continuing counter clockwise, there was a small entertainment system followed by a door that was either a closet or the bathroom. Continuing around there was some wall space and then another door followed by more wall and then a thin door ending back to where they were. Just in front of them were a couch coffee table and a side chair.

Sheila saw Penny taking in the apartment. "Door number one is the toilet. Door number two is the bedroom and door number three is a closet. You can make whatever modifications to the place that you want. The only thing they ask is that you leave it in a state that can be rented out to the next lucky soul. If you buy new furniture you need to store this stuff or just leave what you replace it with."

Penny looked at Sheila, "Cozy".

Sheila chuckled. "Welcome to New York. This really isn't so bad, considering."

Penny looked wide eyed at Sheila. "Considering WHAT?"

Sheila waved her hand. "Nothing… Never mind, you were saying something as we walked into the Taj Mahal here?"

Penny moved over to the couch and the two women sat down. "Well, you were saying about those people that prey on tourists…."

Sheila's eyes opened. "What did you do?"

Penny kind of lifted one shoulder. "Well, on the plane out here, I sat next to a guy that said his roommate was sort of in the business and he wanted to meet for a bite to eat so I could meet his roommate."

Sheila rolled her eyes. "Really? By yourself? In New York? On the first night?"

Penny held up both hands. "What can I say? He started out as a real sleaze, but then turned out to be kind of nice".

Sheila looked at her. "Well, you're in luck, I'm not busy tonight and I need the business, so I'm coming with you. They better not try anything or I'll go all Brooklyn on em".

Penny laughed at the remark. "Really? That's great I was a little nervous being only one of me and two of them. Although, I'll tell you I can rope, tie and castrate a calf in sixty seconds. I'm not exactly a light weight. I have been known to use a well-placed kick or a punch to the throat if I need to."

Sheila laughed. "You sound like my kind of girl. Where and at what time are you supposed to meet these guys?"

Penny thought. "I figured neutral ground would be better… so The Hard Rock in Times Square and probably in an hour or so".

Sheila looked surprised. "You are so full of surprises. Public place, away from where you live, good thinking. Let's get going, we can get there early and talk about what I have been doing with those Head Shots".


	9. Chapter 9

**Things start moving.**

**I own nothing**

Leonard was making due as well as he could. If you held this time up to other times in his life when relationships with girls changed, particularly with Penny, he was actually better than most. He did not have the urge to listen to morose music, there was no desire to get a cat, there were no sustained migraine headaches, he didn't even retreat to his bedroom shunning all contact with the outside world.

Instead, Leonard relied on his group of friends for support, relying on the rather rigid requirements of the Sheldonian calendar. He had always considered it rather confining, limiting you the ability to grow and experience anything outside the defined functions and appointments. Now, however, he found comfort in not having to decide what he was going to do on any particular night, not having to decide if he wanted to go to a movie or eat out at a restaurant or go dancing at a club. He didn't even have to decide if it would be alright to just stay in and watch a predictable movie about some star-crossed lovers that, in the end, found what they had been looking for right in front of them all along.

Even his friends were a comfort to him. Making sure he didn't forget to go to the comic book store or to the proper take out restaurants for the well-defined dinner schedules. He didn't have to worry about interrupting his scheduled viewing of assorted science fiction shows.

One thing that he did do, however, was throw himself into his work like he had not done in quite some time. He had not worked so hard on any project he was associated with since the North Sea expedition. It was curious to him that the most effort he had put into his chosen career and the possible advancements in his career were made when he was separated from Penny. Leonard longed for her and missed her dearly. They had not set up a schedule yet for calling. She had said it would probably take a few days to get her schedule set.

Dr. Gabelhauser had asked Leonard to field some questions that were being forwarded from the Hawking group. After the Expedition, the preliminary results had "leaked" to the scientific community and a bit of interest was beginning to pick up. Considering Leonard was one of the designers of the testing protocol and system design, He was going to get first crack at the questions that were being forwarded to Cal Tech. This was slowing down his normal work a little, but the current experiment was coming to an end, so these new questions were filling in the gaps in his time.

As it was, Leonard actually relished the distraction of the extra workload. It meant that whatever time wasn't taken up by his normal activities with the guys, he could just busy himself with the work from Cambridge.

* * *

Penny and Sheila got to the Hard Rock and sat at the bar. Penny had told Chuck that if which either of them got to the restaurant first should go to the bar so it would be easier to find them. Sheila receded to tell Penny that she had set up a couple of auditions for the next few days for some Off Broadway plays. They were more traditional plays rather than the show numbers that were the headliners. Sheila explained that she really didn't know the breadth of Penny's talents but was informed by her previous agent that Penny was good in dramatic roles.

Penny understood that the rolls were small and that after Sheila saw her perform, they could discuss other things. Penny said that she had done some modeling in the past also which didn't really surprise Sheila that much being that Penny was quite pretty.

It wasn't too long before Chuck walked in dressed to nines followed by his roommate who was very much dressed down. Chuck leaned over slightly to his roommate. "Now, follow m lead. We hit it off pretty good on the flight. I need you to just say high and then take off. She's pretty new at this stuff in New York. She's never been here before.

Chuck's roommate looked up at him "You are really a douche, you know that? I don't know why I let you drag me into these things".

Chuck smiled. "Because you wouldn't get any otherwise". Chuck then looked over and saw Penny with another woman. "Shit, she's with someone. I guess this is your lucky day, you get to stay for dinner".

Chuck's roommate looked over. "Sure…. Great… This is the last time…. I swear…"

Chuck walked over to Penny and tapped her on the shoulder. Sheila looked narrowly at him on purpose just to let him know that she was going to keep an eye on this situation. Penny turned around and smiled. "Chuck…. You made it… this is my agent that I told you about… Sheila."

Sheila just smiled in a very noncommittal way and Chuck returned the gesture. Chuck stepped aside and introduced his roommate. "You really aren't that hard to pick out of a crowd." He winked and smiled. "This is my roommate Leon…"

Penny smiled at Leon and held out her hand. "Hi Leon, Chuck here tells me that you are in the business?"

Leon was not as outgoing as Chuck. He shook Penny's hand and awkwardly smiled back. "Yeah, well, if you can call working back stage with the lighting and the sets "In the business"…. Then I guess I am. Sorry for not fixing myself up. Chuck kind of sprung this on me and we came right from work."

Penny smiled as Leon took her hand. Even though he worked on the sets, his hand seemed soft. He was in a pair of worn jeans, Reebok sneakers, t-shirt, hoodie and insulated vest. He had wavy brown hair and wore glasses. Penny commented as she hopped off her bar stool, finding that Leon was just about her height, "Don't sweat it. You look cute". Chuck looked on puzzled as Sheila smirked and shook her head.


	10. Chapter 10

**Times Square and a call home**

**I own a few characters but none from BBT**

The evening meeting with Chuck was not as bad as Sheila had thought it would be. Chuck seemed to be a little put out but seemed to brighten up a little after Sheila started to talk about some of her accounts that might be looking for financial shelters for investments. Being that Chuck was in banking, he was more than eager to pursue this avenue considering his intended evening was not going to pan out. Sheila had gone along to make sure that Penny was not going to be hurt in any way, professionally or otherwise.

As for Penny's point of view, she was glad that Sheila had come along. Although she was sure she could handle herself, she really didn't want to get her feet wet in the New York scene by worrying about every Tom, Dick and Harry that she would come across. She had dealt with this sort of thing in the past with being a waitress and guys constantly coming on to her, but since she was with Leonard and particularly after she had finally admitted that she loved him, she really didn't want to put up with these other guys and she usually made I well known.

Penny noticed the displeasure in Chuck's demeanor when she was friendlier to Leon than himself. Penny had initially done this on purpose, but as the night had progressed, she had become more comfortable with Chuck's roommate.

All through the night, while talking with Leon Chuck and Sheila, Penny was wanting to talk to Leonard. She was starting to feel his absence. Sheila and Chuck started to monopolize the conversation with questions and answers about different financial shelters. Leon was clearly not into the conversation, but was too polite to say so or try to change the topic to something he was more comfortable with. He would just sit and fidget with his hands trying to look interested. Penny could see that he was uncomfortable and at one point put her hand on his forearm to comfort him a little. Leon was a little surprised by the gesture and just smiled in response. Penny thought that his unassuming smile was cute and reminded her of Leonard. Leonard always has a beautiful smile. She even fancied that he had a hidden smile that he kept only for her. He pared it with an almost indescribable sparkle in his eye. Penny almost thought she saw something similar in Leon when he smiled back at her.

Before too long, the dinner had ended, Sheila and Chuck had exchanged contact information, Penny noticing that the number Sheila had given was different from the number Penny was given. Leon stood and took Penny's jacket and held it for her as she put it on. Penny smiled in appreciation. "So… Leon, we didn't really get to talk too much about the different shows in the area".

Leon looked up first at Sheila and then at Penny. "Yeah… well, I'm sure Sheila has better information than I have on what is going on or coming up. I'll see if I can get some information and let Chuck know".

Penny looked over. "That's OK Sweetie, why don't we get together over coffee after my audition and then we can talk."

Leon immediately perked up. "Um… OK… How can I get in touch with you?"

Penny held his forearm again. "You said where you were working… I'll drop by if that's not too forward for you?"

Leon smiled, "Nah… that would be fine I'll be looking forward to it".

With that, the group split up. Penny and Sheila took a cab back to Penny's apartment while Chuck and Leon went toward the nearest subway station.

On the cab drive over to her apartment, Penny asked Sheila. "That number you gave Chuck was different from the one you gave me. Is there something special going on?"

Sheila smirked. "Please… I gave you my cell number. We need to be able to get in touch with each other. I gave him my office number. I mean, he's cute and all, but I'm not giving the goods away… at least not so soon. Besides I noticed that you and Leon are getting together".

Penny looked back in surprise. "Hey, that's only because you and Chuck were talking all banking stuff and I didn't get a chance to talk to him about the different shows and stuff."

Sheila giggled. "OK, like he's going to get you in where I couldn't"

The two girls laughed as they got to Penny's building. Sheila waived and said goodbye reminding Penny that she had an audition in the morning. Penny went into her apartment building watching Sheila drive off in the cab.

Penny walked up to her apartment and opened the door. She looked around again at the small studio apartment feeling for the first time tonight, very alone. She looked at her watch and wondered if Leonard would be awake. She really wanted to talk to him.

* * *

Leonard was far from sound asleep when his phone buzzed. He had been tossing and turning since he went to bed which was fairly early due to one of Sheldon's typical rants over a preempted Star Trek movie. Leonard groped for his phone and held it close to his eyes. Noticing it was from Penny he quickly answered. "Penny….. HI…."

Penny immediately smiled. "Leonard…. Sweetie… did I wake you?"

Leonard started to reach for the night stand. "Wait a minute… let me put my glasses on so I can hear you better".

Penny immediately broke out in laughter remembering how Leonard would never talk on the phone without wearing his glasses. "Oh… Sweetie… I miss you so much".

Leonard adjusted his glasses and then sat up in bed. "OK, I'm good now. I was so hoping that you would call. How was your flight? Did you meet your Agent? How is your apartment?"

Penny giggled. "Woah… Leonard… slow down. The flight was OK, I sat next to a guy that was kind of a jerk, but turned out to be not so bad after I set him straight. Sheila picked me up from the airport and we went over to my new place. Let me tell ya, it makes my apartment back home look like a palace. We went out for dinner and we just got back. When I closed the door, I just felt so alone and I couldn't just go across the Hall and get my Geek fix."

Leonard smiled at noticing that Penny had referred to her apartment in Pasadena as home and was warmed by her classification of Geek fix. They talked for about an hour telling each other about their day. Penny being far more excited about hers than Leonard was of his.

Penny was happy that Leonard seemed to be happy with the questions he was dealing with from the Hawking group and sorry that she couldn't be there to distract him from Sheldon.

After a while Leonard slid down in his bed listening to Penny go on about her expectations and the auditions that Sheila had set up. Leonard talked about his new work with the University and Penny kept listening to his voice. She didn't know what he was talking about, but she just loved listening to his voice. It was soothing to her and made her feel less alone. Leonard kept talking until he could hear some heavy breathing on the other side. Realizing that Penny had fallen asleep, he ended their call kissed the phone and whispered, "Good night Penny". Leonard then let out a deep sigh and pulled the covers up and drifted off to sleep.


	11. Chapter 11

**A surprise**

**I own nothing**

The next few weeks went by rather quickly for everybody. Penny was going to any auditions that Sheila had set up. Leonard was becoming more and more involved with the group at Cambridge. Penny and Leonard had kept up a nightly call missing only a few. Each call was closed with an I Love You from each of them and each felt lonely for the embrace of the other. The pangs of desire had started to ebb however, and each of them had also become more comfortable with the distance between them.

* * *

Leonard was working in his office. Lately, he had been spending less time designing new experiments and more time working with data sent him by the Hawking group.

Dr. Gabelhauser knocked on his door frame and walked in. "D. Hofstadter"…

Leonard looked up. "Dr. Gabelhauser, please come in and sit down. What can I do for you?"

Dr. Gabelhauser took a seat and looked at the array of papers that Leonard was pouring over. "You look pretty busy. Working with the Hawking material I see?"

Leonard sat down and smiled. "Yes, this is pretty interesting. This last set of data is pretty tricky though. There seems to be a variation in the data that we haven't seen in the past."

Dr. Gabelhauser looked over at the data, mostly as a courtesy to Leonard. "That's just why I'm here, Dr. Hofstadter…"

Leonard looked up as Dr. Gabelhauser sat back down. "Um… Really? Why?"

Dr. Gabelhauser smiled. "Dr. Hawking has asked if we could spare you for a couple of days to set up a team of scientists to try to get a handle on the new data variant. He's not sure that his group has the insight into the process that you have. They are starting up a new experimental model at Cambridge and are asking for your assistance."

Leonard looked extremely surprised. "Really? Oh my god… that would be great!... "

Dr. Gabelhauser smiled again and stood up. "That's what I told them. Your flight is in two days. We couldn't get a flight straight to New York on short notice, so you are holding over in Chicago."

Leonard just stared as Dr. Gabelhauser walked out of his office. "OK…sure". Leonard was both excited and sad. Excited that he was going to work with Stephen Hawking again and sad that he wouldn't be able to spend at least a little time with Penny if his flight went through New York.

* * *

Penny had gone to everything Sheila could set up. She had been cast in one play and it did pay. Not a lot, but still, it was enough money for the apartment rent and a little more. It wasn't going to be a long run, it was way off Broadway. The point of the play was to gauge the response from a live audience. The writers were feeling out different takes on certain scenes judging which way to go. The final product was going to be pitched for Broadway. It was sort of like using test audiences at special screenings back in California. Penny had hopes that if she did well, her part would be carried through to the final production and maybe she could finally get that break.

There was going to be a couple of days break in the show, and Penny thought that it would be a great time to go back home and pick up a few things. She was trying to make her tiny apartment seem more like home and she needed some stuff from home to help out.

Penny didn't want Leonard to know she was going to come and visit. She thought it would be extremely sexy if she showed up at his Lab when he was not expecting it. The more she thought about it, the more excited she got and the more she couldn't wait to get there. The only thing she was worried about, was if she got too close to Leonard, she wouldn't want to do any of the things she was planning on doing in California. She needed to talk to her old agent and let her know what was going on in New York, She wanted to see if there was a chance that she could spread Penny's name around now that she had some experience in New York. She also wanted to make sure she spent at least a little time with Amy and Bernadette. Penny had missed her girlfriends and she just wanted to be with them and relax.

Penny was not fooling herself however, the real and most important reason for going back to Pasadena was to see Leonard. She had missed him terribly and wanted to melt into his embrace in the worst way.

* * *

Leonard was getting everything ready to go. He had packed his bag the night before and told Sheldon that he was going to have to find a different way into work. Fortunately, Sheldon could rely on Amy to come and pick him up.

Leonard drove to the airport and parked in the long-term parking area. He was only going to be gone for a couple of days, so he thought that everything would be fine. Leonard easily went through security and went to sit at his gate. He had his carry-on bag by his side. He pulled out his phone and pulled up his itinerary, looking at the time he would have as a layover in Chicago.

* * *

Penny took a cab to the airport not wanting to get caught in the mass transit mess that she was still not familiar with. She was only going for a few days, so she packed light. She only had one bag that she checked. She easily went through security and waited impatiently for her flight to Chicago.

* * *

On different coasts of the country two flights were called for boarding. Penny and Leonard each boarded their flights. Leonard filled with the anticipation of once again working with Stephen Hawking, and Penny eagerly awaiting the embrace of the man she loved.

Leonard had gotten off his flight and went quickly over to the departures listings to see which gate and concourse his next flight would be departing from.

Penny's flight had a layover in Chicago to pick up additional passengers. She didn't have to get off as the plane was going to continue on to Los Angeles. She did, however feel like stretching her legs, and she wanted to use the bathroom, so she deplaned. She turned right out of the gate looking for the ladies room and noticed what she thought was a familiar sight. She saw a medium to short man with brown wavy hair and glasses in a hoodie and jacket looking at a board with flight information on it.

Penny stopped dead in her tracks. "Leonard"?


	12. Chapter 12

**I own nothing**

Leonard was peering at the information on the information board. His glasses had fallen down on his nose just a bit, so when he turned to the voice he heard, he was looking over the top of his glasses. All Leonard saw was a blonde woman walking quickly to him.

Penny couldn't believe what she saw. She thought that the person at the board looked like Leonard and instinctively called out his name. When he turned to her voice, She was sure it was him. He was trying to focus looking over the top of his glasses. She thought 'Oh My God, He's SO CUTE!' Penny immediately began to quickly walk over to Leonard almost jogging by the time she got to him.

Leonard immediately adjusted his glasses and as he focused, just managed to drop his carry-on bag as he braced himself for the collision he could see was going to happen.

Penny made it to Leonard and threw her arms around his neck and planted a kiss on his lips as Leonard embraced her, lifting her off the ground and spinning a little due to her momentum.

They remained in each others arms and kissing to the amazement of the throng of people walking through the terminal. At one point a young man yelled in their direction "Get a ROOM!" Penny pulled back and blushed, then hugged Leonard putting her head on his shoulder and letting out a huge sigh.

Leonard rubbed her back and asked. "Penny… What are you doing here?"

Penny finally let go and grabbed Leonard's hand and pulled him into the nearest gate area after he picked up his bag so they could sit down. "Leonard… I'm flying to Pasadena… I was going to surprise you… What are you doing here?"

Leonard had a look of extreme disappointment on his face. "I… Um…. I'm flying to Cambridge".

Penny looked wide eyed and now disappointed as well. "Cambridge…. England?"

Leonard took her hand as he could see that Penny was beginning to tear up. " Yes… Dr. Hawking asked the University if I would come over and set up a new testing lab. They have been seeing some variant information in the data and need to either verify it or eliminate it. It's the stuff I have been working on".

Penny now looked away. "Oh… that's…. That's great.. I mean… it's Hawking right?... This is so great. I'm so happy for you… You're going to England again. That's so… great".

Leonard pulled Penny back. "Penny, it's kind of good. It's only for a little while. Um… why were you going home?"

Penny swallowed and took a deep breath. "Well… I had a break from the show…. They're doing another small rewrite… and I thought that I would just come home and pick up a few things and see everybody… and… you know… surprise you…" Penny looked away again, her voice trailing off.

Leonard took her chin and made her look at him. "Oh Penny, I'm sorry… I didn't tell you about this trip because they couldn't get a flight out of New York. I wasn't going to be able to see you."

Penny smiled. "No… That's OK… I mean, you don't have to tell me everything… and this is like… so Great… you could not go…"

Leonard smiled. "Penny, do you have time to get a bite to eat before your flight takes off?"

Penny looked at her watch. "Yeah, it doesn't leave for a couple of hours."

Leonard stood. "Great, let's get something to eat". They then went off to a bar and grill and sat in a corner booth and had a couple of burgers and fries. About an hour later, they were gazing into each other's eyes while they talked and laughed. Penny suddenly stopped and longingly gazed into Leonard's eyes. "Come with me!"

Leonard paid the bill and followed Penny into the concourse. Penny found just what she was looking for. She turned to Leonard and smiled. "OK… This isn't the Mile High Club… so let's just pretend".

Leonard stared at the designation on the door. "A bathroom? Are you serious?"

Penny took Leonard's hand. "What… it's marked for men AND women…" She then led Leonard into a Family Restroom, it was a small one toilet room with a changing table for infants. Penny turned and locked the door.

Leonard looked completely surprised. "So this is more like the Sea Level Club?"

Penny turned to Leonard and gave him a kiss while tugging at his jacket. "Yeah… Sure… Whatever… Take off your clothes".

Just as quickly as they started to shed their clothes, Penny's flight was being called for boarding.

Penny stopped unclasping her bra, standing with her pants around her ankles. She looked up, listened, and then uttered, "Crap… that's my flight".

Leonard was bent over pushing his boxers past his knees. His eyes were staring straight at Penny's lace pink panties. "Your flight?"

Penny shrugged off her bra, and grabbed Leonard into an embrace. "C'mon here Sweetie". Penny immediately felt that Leonard was ready. She smiled a little and pushed her panties down stepping out of one leg of her pants.

Leonard put both hands on Penny's shoulders. "Penny, you need to get to your gate. You'll miss your flight".

Penny pulled Leonard back toward her. "Leonard… please… It's been too long".

Leonard pulled back and bent to pull up his boxers. "Penny, you need to get going".

Penny frowned standing almost completely naked. "C'mon…. it'll be quick… We can DO this!"

Leonard pulled up his pants and put his t-shirt on. "Quick?... when was the last time we did anything like this quick?" Leonard then pulled Penny in for a hug, placing one hand on her butt and the other on her breast as he kissed her.

As Leonard pulled away, Penny just stood there with her eyes closed and sighed. "Damn… Hofstadter… you owe me". Penny quickly dressed and the two made it to the gate before the boarding was final.

They stood holding each other and the final boarding was called. Penny turned to Leonard and pulled him in for a passionate kiss. This time, Leonard was the one that still had his eyes closed when they pulled apart. "Damn", Leonard whispered.

Penny smiled and let out a little giggle. "See… not so nice… is it?" They called the boarding one last time. Penny put both hands on Leonard's chest and looked into his eyes. "Leonard, I need to see you, I need to be alone with you…. I miss you…. I miss US….."

Leonard smiled. "I'll see if I can book my return flight through New York. E-mail me when you are back in New York". Leonard put a hand to the side of Penny's face and gently kissed her. Penny pulled away, smiled and walked down the ramp to her flight to Pasadena, a small tear sliding down her cheek.

Leonard watched until her plane pulled away and taxied to the runway.


	13. Chapter 13

**Leonard gets to London**

**I own nothing**

Leonard wandered around to his gate and sat thinking on what almost just happened. He couldn't deny that he wanted to continue, but his sense of doing the right thing got the better of him. Penny went on her flight and he wished that she would have a good time visiting with their friends. Each of them had told him how much they had missed her.

Sheldon was not adjusting well to the new waitress, ironically named Nancy. Perhaps a better way to put it would be to say that Nancy was not adjusting to all things Sheldon. Sheldon had always thought of Penny as a friend. He had a different way of reacting to friends and Penny often took him to task for not properly treating people as they should be, but there was also a very soft spot in Penny's heart for Sheldon. She often let him pass on things that she held others to. Sheldon missed her, but would not openly admit it.

It was while thinking of Penny as their waitress that it occurred to Leonard that this was one of the many ways that Penny had demonstrated how special a person she was. She had such ease with daunting situations. Perhaps this was one of the reasons Penny needed to give acting one last big effort. It was not in her to knuckle under to pressure she was not yet ready to accept. Perseverance was a key to understanding Penny.

Bernadette and Amy were missing the third Musketeer to their merry little band. Still having girls night, but each of them had admitted that it was just not quite the same.

Howard and Raj were somewhat quiet on the subject, not wanting to upset him as he missed his girlfriend so deeply. Howard and Penny had always had an arms-length relationship. Things had grown over the sexual banter since Penny introduced Howard to Bernadette and then helped them reunite after the nasty little Troll incident. Howard really missed Penny, but tried not to show it.

Raj had built a relationship with Penny that was made stronger when he found he could talk to her without alcohol. Actually it was Penny who he talked to first when he found out he could talk WITH alcohol. Penny had a kind heart and tried her best to help Raj along in meeting new women. Raj always turned to Penny for help first, knowing that she would never steer him wrong. Raj missed Penny deeply and often admitted it, especially when the group met for dinner.

Leonard heard the call for boarding for his flight, took out his e-ticket and waited in line, excited to be going to Cambridge, but wishing that he was on the flight to Pasadena with Penny.

* * *

Penny sat in her seat, wiping her eyes from the moisture that had gathered there. She didn't want to get caught up in any conversations with any random guys so she pulled out her phone and played music through her earphones. She was happy to see that the seat next to her was occupied by a girl that had made a similar decision. Penny looked out the window still feeling the waning excitement deep within her that Leonard had aroused. Penny was not inexperienced, however, Leonard had the ability to elicit these feelings quicker and more intensely than any other lover she had ever had. She opened her collar and turned on the air jet above her head. Penny listened to her music as she closed her eyes and thought of Leonard.

Penny was serious when she asked him to continue their short meeting. She really, at that moment, did not care if she missed her flight. She wanted Leonard in the worst way and it was only because he insisted they stop, that she made her flight. As she thought about it, she was a little ashamed that she wanted to do something that was so intimate between them in such a cavalier manner. In her younger days, meetings such as that happened often enough. That was how Mike and she did things. Those were the sort of things he put in his blog. She even did stuff like that back when she was in high school, Girls room, Boys Room, under the Bleachers, the front seat of her father's pickup, the back seat of a boyfriend's car. Leonard changed all that. He made her into a better person. What they shared was so much more than just sex, mind you… the sex was incredible, but the best part often was AFTER the sex… just being together, holding each other.

Penny thought long and hard about her decision to go to New York. She wondered if it was the best thing for her to do. It is true that she now actually had an acting job, however short it would be. Both she and Sheila were hoping that it would bring about other and newer chances. That was one of the reasons Penny wanted to see her old agent. Penny wanted to make sure her California contacts were up to date and still open. In reality, Penny wanted to come back home at some point. She had made her home there and that is where Leonard was.

* * *

Leonard's flight was long and by the time he made it to London, he was quite exhausted. He got little sleep because of turbulence and the rather loud snorer next to him. All he wanted to do was get to his hotel and sleep. As he deplaned, he saw a sign that read HOFSTADTER. Leonard walked over to the sign and to his surprise, the sign was being held by a rather good looking young woman. She was blonde, her hair was wavy and shoulder length, parted on the side with some behind her left ear. She was slightly built with curves all in the right places, about his height, and Leonard could see that she had beautiful green eyes that looked out from behind black rimmed glasses.

The woman smiled at Leonard and approached him as he walked over. "Dr. Hofstadter, nice to meet you, Dr. Hawking is looking forward to having your input".

Leonard took her hand. "Hi… Leonard…. Please… and you are?"

The young woman smiled back, a little embarrassed. "I'm quite sorry… My name is Tuppence. It's a silly little name, I know, but my Dad always said that that's all the money he had when he and Mum found out they were going to have a baby".

Leonard looked confused. "I'm sorry?"

Tuppence continued. "That would be two pennies in The States. They always said they only had tuppence to rub together".

Leonard looked surprised. "Oh…. Right…. Two pennies".


	14. Chapter 14

**Back Home in Pasadena**

**Still Own nothing**

Penny landed in LA. Being that she had now no reason to surprise Leonard, She decided to call Bernadette to see if she could pick her up. Bernadette was surprised to hear from Penny and when she found out that she was at the airport, she flew out of the apartment to go get her friend.

Penny had gotten her bag and was waiting out at the load/unload area when Bernadette drove up and stopped. Penny waved but Bernadette didn't pay any attention.

Bernadette jumped out of the car and ran around to grab Penny in as big a hug as her arms would permit. "Penny… it's so nice to see you… why are you here?... It's so good to see you…"

Penny smiled and returned the hug with as much enthusiasm as was given by Bernadette. "I, know… I missed you guys… I had a few days off from my play and I thought I would come back here and pick up a few things. I was hoping to see all you guys and Leonard".

Bernadette pulled away a bit. "Um... Penny… about Leonard…"

Penny smiled. "Relax, we happened to bump into each other in Chicago. He was on layover when my flight stopped to pick up more people."

They both got in the car and decided rather than going over to Los Robles, they would go and surprise Amy.

* * *

The two blondes stopped at Amy's door. Bernadette had a mischievous look on her face. She whispered to Penny. "Stand right here, so she can't see you". Bernadette knocked and stood right in front of the peep hole.

Amy was not expecting anyone for company, there was no meeting with Sheldon on the date Calendar, and Sheldon would never come over unannounced even if he had a need for an unscheduled visit, so Amy walked to the door and looked out the peep hole.

Seeing the top of Bernadette's blonde head, Amy smiled and opened the door. "Bernadette, to what do I owe…. OH MY GOD….. PENNY?"

Penny stood still with a big grin on her face as Amy enveloped her in a hug. "Easy there Amy, what have I told you about invading another girl's personal space…?"

The three friends walked into Amy's apartment Bernadette was last carrying two bottles of wine that they had picked up on the way over. Amy was beaming with joy. "At last… a proper Ladies's Night. No offense Bernadette".

The three decided that it would be more appropriate to go to Penny's apartment. They hopped in Bernadette's car and went off to Los Robles Avenue.

* * *

Bernadette poured wine into three glasses that Amy had set out. "This really IS a proper Lady's Night, believe me Amy, no offense taken". Amy returned a questioning look.

Penny took her glass and held it up "Guys…. Enough of that… I declare this Ladies Night officially open!"

Amy started the conversation. "Penny, I assume that one of the reasons, in all probability, the primary reason for visiting back in Pasadena would be to spend time with Leonard…"

Penny interrupted. "Relax Amy, I already know that Leonard isn't here."

Amy continued. "Not only is he not here, he isn't in Pasadena".

Penny smiled. "Yes, I know. I happened to be in the Chicago Airport and we had lunch."

Bernadette asked, "Was he surprised to see you there?"

Penny answered, "We were both surprised. I didn't tell him I was coming because I wanted to surprise him, and he didn't tell me he was going to England, because he was only going to be there for a week or so. We had a really nice lunch and then ….."

Bernadette looked surprised. "You didn't!"

Amy smiled. "In the airport? Bestie… you still got it!"

Penny smiled. "Hold on… we didn't… DO… anything…. Well, we almost did… I mean we wanted to… and we were SO CLOSE… but then they called my flight and nothing happened".

Bernadette took Penny's hand. "Oh… Penny… I'm so sorry".

Penny shrugged. "Yeah, well, we really haven't been in synch lately anyway. God… I miss him so much. But …. Anyway, we're here together". Penny raised her glass. "To US".

Amy smiled. "Penny, what have you been doing in the Big Apple?"

Penny smiled widely. "It's kind of great out there. I'm in an off Broadway play that they're tweaking before they bring it to Broadway. I'm hoping that if I do a good job, they won't recast my part, or at least keep me on for another. My agent Sheila is really great, she's really spreading my pictures around and I have had a bunch of auditions."

Bernadette chirped. "That's great, it sounds like you finally made it".

Penny sighed. "Well, I wouldn't go that far. I mean, I'm paying the bills and all, but I' certainly haven't made it".

Amy asked. "Where are you living?"

Penny had a small smile on her face. "Oh, it's a really small apartment. I've been told it's not bad for a studio in New York. That's why I'm here. I need to box up some things that I need to make it feel more like home. You guys wouldn't want to get in a box and get shipped out would you?"

At those words, Amy and Bernadette came over to Penny and they had a group hug.

* * *

The next day Penny was going through some of her stuff and wanted to take back with her when a familiar sound came from the other side of the door.

Knock… Knock... Knock… Penny…

Knock… Knock… Knock… Penny…

Knock… Knock… Knock… Penny…

Penny immediately dropped what she was holding and ran to the door and flung it open with such force, Sheldon standing on the other side, winced, put a hand up to cover his throat and leaned away.

Penny grabbed Sheldon into a good old Nebraska Bear Hug, Both arms slung around his chest and waist pulling tightly and her head leaning against his chest just below the upheld arm. "Moonpie!"

Sheldon slowly opened his eyes and put down his arm gently patting Penny on the back. "Allll-Righhht… that will be enough of that."

Penny pulled back and before Sheldon had chance to move, placed a quick kiss on his cheek. "Sheldon, how are you… I've missed you!"

Sheldon stepped back. "If you are quite done with your public displays of affection, I would like you to clarify what you mean by that sentence?"

Penny looked at Sheldon as confused as she had ever been when caught in a conversation with the tall Physicist. "What?"

Sheldon stood still. "Well, if you indeed did miss me, why have you waited until I came across the hall to let me know you were back for a visit?"

Penny smiled. "Oh… that… well, you see… Amy and Bernadette were over here last night and we got a little carried away… and…"

Sheldon broke in. "Yes… well… that is precisely why I'm here. You see… after your evening filled with libation, Amy came over instead of going home and she is now ensconced in Leonard's bed. You need to get her out. She wouldn't sign any of the proper paperwork enabling her to be a legal temporary resident of apartment 4A".

Penny was surprised by the information. "Oh my god, Sheldon… Is she OK?" Without waiting for an answer, Penny ran over to Leonard's room to find Amy sitting up, glasses off and hair askew. "Ames… are you OK?"

Amy got up quickly grabbed her glasses and bolted for the bathroom, "Morning Bestie… Excuse me…" Amy then almost ran Sheldon over to get to the bathroom. Sheldon just shook his head and went to the kitchen to make a pot of tea and make some dry toast to settle Amy's obviously upset stomach.

Penny stayed sitting on Leonard's bed rubbing the comforter and looking around clutching one of his pillows to her chest. She smiled at his Bat Signal and the picture of her that he kept on the night table on his side of the bed. She wished that they could have spent this time together. She wasn't at all certain when she would be able to break away from New York in the near future.

The rest of the next two days was filled with meetings with Beth, her old agent updating her on what was going on and asking if she would keep Penny in mind for any opportunities. Penny left her with some of her new Head Shots. Penny also spent considerable time with the girls packing up some stuff she wanted and with the guys for dinner and Halo.

Before she knew it, it was time to get back to New York and her new life out there. Bernadette and Amy dropped her off at the airport and promised to visit soon.


	15. Chapter 15

**London**

**Own nothing**

Leonard was brought to his hotel. Tuppence explained that Dr. Hawking's group was eager to start the setup of the new lab and wanted to get an early start. Leonard contemplated calling Penny to let her know that he was safely landed in England but remembered the time difference. They kept up Skyping and e-mailing when he was in the North Sea, so he expected that Penny would be up to the same sort of routine. It would be a little better when she got back to New York, but for the first night he decided to just go to bed and get some rest so he would be fresh for the morning meeting.

Tuppence was up bright and early and waiting for him when he exited the elevator. She was dressed in a navy blue suit with a skirt just above her knees. A white collared shirt with the top buttons unbuttoned and black flats. Her blond hair was pulled back into a ponytail and her green eyes were sparkling out behind her glasses. "Dr. Hofstadter, good morning".

Leonard was a little surprised to see her waiting, he had thought that he would get a cup of coffee before going to the meeting. "Oh, Tuppence… hi… um, I didn't expect to see you so early. Please call me Leonard".

Tuppence smiled in return. "Well you know what they say, early bird and all. Please call me Pence, everybody does, it's a little less formal. Have you eaten?"

Leonard smiled . "Pence? And… no… I was going to see if I could get a cup of coffee somewhere".

Tuppence giggled. "Pence as in Penny, if it's easier for you, just call me Penny. They have very good coffee and scones here in the hotel. We could stop before we go to the University".

Leonard's eyes opened a little bit wider. "Scones sounds great…. And coffee…. So…. Pence it is".

* * *

They sat in a corner booth sipping on coffee and eating scones as Pence explained that they would first be meeting with Dr. Hawking and then with his senior staff. After they finished, they went off to Cambridge.

* * *

When the initial introductions were made, Leonard got down to business. The senior members were going to have a meeting with the design team for the new lab and would update Leonard when they received the newest revisions. Leonard went to work with two of the Post Doc assistants Nigel and Colin. They had brought over the latest data to go over.

The analysis was a little tedious as Leonard looked for the smallest variance in the expected data statistics generated from the original North Sea Expedition. He wanted each point to be verified and then looked for any different conditions in the testing parameters and any environmental possible differences.

The data analysis was exhausting. When they finished for the night, Leonard just wanted to go back to the hotel and lay down. He had developed one of his migrane headaches. He so wished that he was back in Pasadena. It was at times like these when Penny would draw a warm bath and insist that he sit in the tub with aroma candles and a glass of wine. If he was lucky, he would most times, coax Penny into joining him in the bath.

Leonard was brought from his thoughts by Pence. She knocked on the doorway and saw that he had taken off his glasses and was rubbing his temples. "Dr. Hofstsd…. Leonard, are you all right?"

Leonard looked up repositioning his glasses. "Oh.. hi… again… Yeah, I'm fine, just a little headache."

Pence frowned. Let me see if I have anything, it's best to nip these things in the bud". She rifled through her purse finding the small travel pill box that she was sure had something that would help. "If you don't mind tablets, I have some aspirin. I prefer the powder, myself, but these are easier to travel with".

Leonard looked over. "That would be great, thanks." Leonard took the pills and swallowed them down with some water he had gotten earlier. The two of them got into Pence's car and drove off to the hotel.

* * *

Pence let Leonard off reminding him that there would be a slight delay the next day and she would be picking him up about an hour later.

Leonard went to his room and quickly calculated what time it would be in Pasadena and in New York.

Five hours earlier to New York eight earlier to LA. Penny was scheduled to fly into New York today returning from her mini vacation to Pasadena. It was only two PM in New York, so it was too early for a call to Penny. He wasn't sure when her flight was to land, but he figured he would need to call about eleven PM or after local time to have a reasonable chance of getting her at her apartment. It was beginning to occur to him that the three hours less difference in time was not making calling Penny easier. He then resolved to send an e-mail telling her that he was fine and missed her. Leonard quickly typed a message to Penny and closed his lap top. His thoughts returned to Pence, should he have asked her to join him for dinner? He didn't want Pence to feel that he was treating her like some kind of servant even IF she was assigned to help him by Stephen Hawking.

In the lobby, Pence was torn with the thought of asking Leonard out for dinner. She had no idea of his relationship status, and she didn't want to seem too forward asking him out. She wanted to make sure Leonard was comfortable with his surroundings, and if she was completely honest with herself, she wouldn't mind spending time with him to get to know him better. From all the information she had received from the team members that worked with him on the original expedition, Leonard was quite interesting and an all-around sweet guy.

Just as Leonard was about to flop down on the bed, a knock came at the door. As Leonard opened it, he found Pence standing on the other side with a rather sheepish look on her face. "Dr. H… Leonard, would you like to catch a bite to eat? There's a really good Fish and Chips shop around the corner. I mean you are still pretty new in town and you haven't had a proper tour. You really should stay away from all those leaflets in the hotel."

Leonard smiled. "Catch a bite to eat?... Fish and chips?... How could I possibly turn down that invitation"? Leonard put his Jacket back on and closed the door behind them.


	16. Chapter 16

**I own nothing**

Penny opened her door and dropped her bag by the door. She looked around and sighed. Yes it was her apartment, but it didn't feel like home. She hoped that when the boxes Bernadette was sending arrived, somehow, this tiny little room would feel more comfortable and she would feel more relaxed when she was here alone. The couple of days in Pasadena were really great for her. She felt a little recharged.

Penny looked at her watch and wondered what the time difference was to England. She tried to do a quick calculation trying to remember the time difference from California to the North Sea. She really never had a good grasp on it then, so she figured she would just look it up in the internet. It was just her luck, that someone nearby had an unprotected Wifi. She thought to herself that she probably would need to really set up her own if grabbing on to whoever this belonged to either protected it or moved out. She really needed to get to know her neighbors.

Penny plugged her lap top in and started it up. She immediately saw the E-Mail icon and clicked on it. A smile quickly crossed her face. Leonard had sent her a message:

**Hey, Beautiful. I just wanted you to know that I got in OK and started working on my project. It was pretty late when I got in and then today was pretty busy. I'm working with some really interesting and smart people, I hope that I don't disappoint them. Anyway, I was going to call you but figured you were not in yet so decided to leave you this e-mail. I'm really sorry that we didn't get to spend more time together ;) I really miss you. Love you. Leonard **

**PS. The time difference is 5 hours from New York to London, so stop looking. It's five hours later here.**

Penny giggled as she read the post script. Leonard knew he all too well. She looked at her watch and saw that it was close to Nine PM which, with her new conversion factor, meant that it was about Two AM in London. Penny thought that he said it was a busy day, so she would let him sleep. She pulled out her phone and set an alarm for Two AM. She hoped that he would be awake and they could talk. It would be Seven AM and she hoped that he would not be off to work yet.

* * *

Leonard and Pence sat at a table pretty much in the middle of a quaint little Pub. Not too close to the bar which would have restricted the regular patrons from what they would consider proper access and not too close to the rear where the more amorous clientele were seated.

Leonard looked up from his meal. "This is really great fish, so crispy. And the fries, they are crispy too. I almost never get to eat the real crispy ones at home."

Pence smiled. "Chips, we call them chips. Don't they know how to properly crisp them?"

Leonard smiled. "Oh, yeah , they do. It's just that they are always eaten before I get to them."

Pence nodded. "Girlfriend?"

Leonard nodded "Yeah, but it's OK, I buy extras sometimes that get past her".

Pence thought that she would not press the girlfriend issue so she wouldn't make Leonard uncomfortable. "Glad you like it, this is one of my favorite places to grab a quick bite".

Leonard sipped on his Ale. "The beer here is great too. If you come here often, would you like to throw a game of Darts?"

Pence frowned a bit. "No, not really, I'm not very good at Darts. I threw a dart right through a window once. It was pretty embarrassing. The window wasn't even close to the Dart Board".

Leonard thought for a second. "Yeah, I guess that would be…". He immediately thought back to his own one time foray into darts… and throwing a dart through the window completely on the other side of the room. It was sort of like dropping a bowling ball on your backstroke. Something that he hated to admit was far too often an occurrence in his past.

Pence patted his hand. "If you like, you can sign up, they will be starting soon".

Leonard looked a little horrified, but tried to hide it as well as he could. "No, that's alright, I'm a bit tired from work today. It's getting late, Leonard looked at his watch. Maybe we should be calling it a night.

The two of them got up and left the pub. The walk back to the Hotel was not long, but the wind whipped up a bit. Leonard had his hands jammed into his pockets and he shivered a bit. "I keep forgetting how cold it can get over here".

Pence giggled, "You Yanks from California will never get used to the balmy weather we are used to here. This is actually quite nice". She slid an arm around his and walked close beside him to the Hotel.

* * *

When they reached the Hotel Lobby, Leonard said his goodbye and took the elevator to his floor. Pence smiled as she left the Lobby and found her car, just down the street.

Leonard quickly got ready for bed thinking "Such a nice girl". He drifted off to sleep with little trouble.

* * *

Two AM came far too quickly for Penny. When the alarm on her phone went off she was completely disoriented. She sat straight up, not recognizing where she was. "Shit… what is that noise, where am I?" Penny immediately found that she was in a bed she was not familiar with. "God… what have I done? Penny grabbed herself finding that she was wearing pajamas. This was already looking better that she first expected. She looked in the bed next to her and found that she was alone. "Oh… m'god … thank goodness ". Penny was relieved and things started to make sense. "Leonard, I wanted to call Leonard."

Penny picked up her phone and shut off the infernal noise it was making and quick dialed the number one. Her phone was preset with Leonard's number.

Leonard was still in bed when he heard his phone ring. Pence was not picking him up until later and he was going to take advantage of an extra hour of sleep. He picked up his phone and saw a picture of Penny. It was a picture he had taken of her in the park one summer day. She was taking a scoop of Chocolate ice cream and holding it out. She was smiling at him. Leonard answered somewhat groggily. "Hey beautiful, what's up"?

Penny smiled. "I just wanted to let you know I was safely back in New York. I got your e-mail, but by the time I saw it, it would have been too early your time…. So…. I set my alarm".

Leonard looked at the time as he picked up his watch. "Penny, it's Two AM in New York… why aren't you sleeping?"

Penny smiled at his concern. "Sweetie… I miss you and I wanted to talk to you for just a little. You know, to find out how your first day went."

For the next half hour, Penny and Leonard talked about his first day and the people he was working with. He told her about meeting Dr. Hawking and working with Colin and Nigel and all the data they had shown him. He said that he had found a nice Pub around the corner from the hotel and that he had gotten dinner there the night before. Penny had told him about getting together with all their friends and now she was going to have to start going on more auditions because there was no guarantee that she would be picked up for the final production of the play she was in.

After they ran out of things that were current, their conversation got very quiet, at one point just listening to each other breathe. Penny was the first to talk. "Leonard, I really miss you. I wish that you didn't have to go to England right now… I mean… it's great that you did, but… I was so hoping to be with you for a couple of days at home…"

Leonard answered. "I miss you too, and if your flight wasn't called so quick, there's no telling how far we would have gone. I'll make the return flight go through New York on the way home. I don't think I'll be here more than a week. I'll let you know".

Penny smiled wickedly into her phone. "Leonard…. You remember the bathroom we were in at the airport?"

Leonard hesitantly answered "Yeah…."

Penny breathily whispered. "Do you remember what I was wearing just after they called my flight?"

Leonard gulped. "Ummmm…..Nothing?"

Penny giggled. "Leonard…. I'm wearing that exact same outfit now…"

The conversation was not very in-depth after that revelation, each partner adding details as they were needed and much of the conversation was just breathing and moaning. Still, each was extremely satisfied by the conclusion. Leonard had set an alarm to get up in order to get ready to be picked up for work and it interrupted them just after Leonard exclaimed rather loudly that he Loved Penny.

Penny just sighed knowing that she felt the same way. She had let him know just prior to Leonard's proclamation. Always the gentleman, Leonard always wanted Penny to be satisfied first. Penny giggled, completely satisfied by the call and let Leonard get himself ready and off to work. Penny rolled over not bothering to get into her pajamas again and pulled the covers over herself pretending that it was Leonard's arm drifting off to the best sleep she had had since moving to New York.

Leonard had absolutely NO interest in having input into the data analysis scheduled for the rest of the morning. All he could think of was Penny. It wasn't her fault, he just wanted to hold her.


	17. Chapter 17

**Own Nothing**

Penny finally got out of bed and checked her e-mail to see if there was anything new from Sheila. There was nothing set for the day, so Penny decided to go shopping for a few things to spruce up the apartment. She wasn't really all that familiar with the area, so she decided to do some e-shopping. This was something that she was well versed in, never shy to fill some idle time with an on-line shopping spree for shoes. She smiled as she thought of all the times she needed Leonard to unfreeze her computer right in the middle of filling a shopping cart. Penny decided to take a quick shower before she would settle in to her self-assigned task for the day.

* * *

Leonard had been picked up by Pence and they were on their way to the University. Pence showed up right at Nine AM, just as she had said. Leonard wasn't sure, but it seemed to him that Pence was dressed up really nicely this morning. She had her hair done in a loose bun and had on a blue skirt just above the knee and matching jacket covering a pink shirt. Her lips were covered with a pink lip gloss that reminded him of a shade Penny had liked to wear. She smiled as her ever sparkling green eyes peered out from behind those ever present black rimmed glasses. "Good morning Dr. Ho…. Leonard".

Leonard smiled as he recovered from looking at her for what he sensed as far too long asking, "Morning, what's on the list for today? You look nice. Is there a dress code that I should know about?" Leonard was wearing his usual jeans with t-shirt, hoodie and jacket combination atop his ever present Converse sneakers.

Pence smiled over at him. "Well, Dr. Hawking would like you and the boys to see if you could finish the preliminary go through of the data. I'm off to have a meeting with the architect for the new lab. Thank you, and… no there really isn't a dress code, although the most of the boys wear trousers with a shirt and sweater or cardigan. The professors are required to be a little more professional and wear a jacket and tie over. Some of the older gents still sport a bow tie. Meet for lunch shall we?"

* * *

Penny got out of the shower. It was a claw foot bathtub with a shower attachment. Certainly not what she was used to, but it would have to do. Just one of the things that made her want to get things started so she could get a better place. She finished drying off and put on a pair of sweat pants and a sweat shirt. She topped off her outfit by wrapping her hair in a towel and putting on a pair of socks. She looked at herself in the mirror as she brushed her teeth thinking. "What a slob, Leonard would be so disappointed… nah… who are you kidding… he thinks I'm adorable no matter what". Penny smiled at herself and went into the room and flopped down on the couch and opened her lap top. She immediately thought of something to do and grabbed her phone and took a selfi… No makeup, hair in a towel, in a sloppy sweatshirt… she cocked her head, and winked… and attached it to a text to Leonard.

* * *

Leonard felt just a little out of place knowing he would look sloppy next to the other scientists, "Yeah sure… whenever you're ready". His phone buzzed and he swiped it to accept the text.

**"Hey handsome, how'd ya like a piece of this? Miss ya tons." **

Seeing the picture of Penny, he then looked up at Pence as she swaggered out of the lobby to get her car. Leonard smiled, closed his phone and followed.

* * *

Penny had looked at a couple of sites and decided that she wanted to get some room divider screens so she could hide the Kitchen when she needed to. Right now, it was the first thing that you would see as you walked into the apartment. As it was, Penny had fallen into a habit of not cleaning her dishes after she used them. Granted, she was eating take out a lot because cooking was never her favorite thing, but now, cooking for just herself, was a little depressing. She also saw a nice chair she wanted to get. It was fairly large, cream colored and the cushions looked very comfortable. She thought to herself, she could curl up in it just like she did to Leonard's chair back home. At that thought, Penny got off the couch, went into the bathroom and put on some makeup, changed into a cute outfit and pulled her hair back into a neat ponytail. She decided to go out and do a little shopping. She had run out of yogurt and needed some more coffee. She was going to take a walk around the neighborhood. She noticed some shops when Sheila dropped her off, so it was about time she found out what it was really going to be like living in New York.

Penny walked down a couple of blocks and came to a small grocery. It really was strange. It reminded her more of a mix of a vegetable stand back home in Omaha and Dollar Store in LA. It looked like they had all the really necessary things you would need. Penny started to look around at the fruit, picking out a couple of apples and pears.

As Penny picked out the fruit, three neighborhood teens eyed her from across the street. They came across and started to fiddle with the vegetables glancing up at her as she walked into the store. Penny went over to the coffee and picked up a pound bag and walked over to the counter to pay. The owner was standing behind the counter watching the guys watching Penny. One of them brushed up against her and she dropped some of the fruit. Penny was surprised and turned quickly. A second one grabbed her purse and ran out of the store. The third ran after the second to be stopped by the owner.

The owner looked back at Penny who was now sitting on the guy that made her drop the fruit. The owner reached behind the counter for a small bat that looked like a policeman's night stick while holding the third guy. "Miss… are you OK?"

Penny got up and pushed the first boy to the counter and smiled at the owner. "Yeah, but they got my bag".

Just then a voice from behind spoke up, "Not really, this one didn't make it so far".

Penny turned and looked "Leon?"


	18. Chapter 18

**I guess I own Pence, little else**

Pence had a busy morning dealing with the architects of the new lab. Leonard was sitting at his desk looking through some data not realizing that he was being watched. Leonard scrunched up his brow and rubbed his forehead trying as best he could to make sense of the abhorrent data spike on the run he was evaluating. Pence looked at him and smiled. He was so in-tune with his work. She had heard of his devotion to his work from the others she knew that worked with him on the expedition. He truly was a genius from what Dr. Hawking had told her. She giggled just slightly. "Come up with anything yet?"

Leonard's glasses had slid down on his nose just a bit so when he looked up, he had to lean back a little and scrunch his nose up to position his glasses so he could see his visitor. "Um… Oh… Hi". Leonard looked down at his watch and properly adjusted his glasses. "I'm sorry, I didn't know how late it had gotten".

Pence smiled. "No, really… it's my fault. I was supposed to pick you up for lunch and now it's past tea."

Leonard stood. "We can still grab a bite to eat… let's call it an early dinner. I just have to finish up a few things and put all this away".

Pence walked over to Leonard and took his arm. "That's a lovely idea, let's go".

Leonard looked down at her arm around his. He then quickly went back to the data and made some notes. He was trying to finish up when Colin came into the room.

Colin had seen Pence standing in the doorway as he turned up the hallway. Nigel and he were about to leave. Colin had been trying to get together with Pence for the last couple of weeks, ever since Pence was assigned to the project. Colin saw Pence enter the lab and walked in after her as if he hadn't known she was there. As Colin entered the lab, he asked, "Leonard, are you still here? You Yanks need to put it to rest. It's time to go for a pint. What do you say?"

Leonard looked quickly over to Pence. 'Well… Um…."

Just then Nigel walked in. "What's keeping you?... Hi Pencey… Has this bugger convinced you to come out with us yet?" He then gave Pence a quick nudge with his elbow.

Colin looked a little embarrassed. "What are you saying? It's not like that at all… I just invited her and Dr. Hofstadter here out for a pint… nothing more".

Pence smiled and giggled a bit. "Ok, that's enough out of you two. Leonard and I were just on our way out for an early bite. So… we'll see you tomorrow. But don't worry, I'm sure we'll make it for a pint sometime."

Leonard then walked in between them and took her arm and they walked out to her car.

* * *

Leon took hold of the teen Penny had knocked on his ass and sat on. "Nice job, where'd you learn that?"

Penny took her purse from Leon in a fair exchange. "Thanks for this. I was Junior Rodeo Champ back home. If I had some rope, I would have hogtied the creep".

Leon looked to the owner. "Uncle Jake, where do you want to keep these 'Gentlemen' until the cops get here.

The owner smiled and took one of them. "Bring'em in the back. If they know what's good for em, they won't try anything." Jake and Leon went to the back to Jake's office with the three teens.

Penny brushed herself off and picked up her stuff and placed it on the counter waiting for the owner to come back.

Leon walked up from behind. Penny turned quickly at the noise, taking a defensive posture. Leon crossed his arms in front of himself, "Woah, it's just me. And from what I saw, maybe I should take a wide turn and not sneak up on ya".

Penny looked to the floor smiling a bit. "I'm sorry, this is just the first time something like that has happened to me. Back in LA, everybody is a bit laid back and I guess I never went into the bad areas. And, I was never really on my own much".

Leon smiled. "Hey, you wanna get a bite to eat or something? Uncle Jake will take care of the situation".

Penny smiled as she saw the police come in the front door. One of the police went to the back with Jake and one asked Penny and Leon for their information. Penny gave the Police her name and address as Leon stood by the side. When Penny finished, Leon gave his side of the story. They finished just as Jake and the other policeman came to the front with the three teens. The two policemen took the three teens out to their squad car and loaded them into the back seat.

Jake turned and smiled to Leon. "Leo…. It's good to see you… nice to know that you're not slowin down". Tell your Ma that she needs to show up at the next dinner".

Leon smiled and gave Jake a big hug. "It's Leon, Uncle Jake… she's getting better… she just feels bad without Pop… you know…."

Jake turned to Penny. "Miss, I'm sorry about all this. Those three have been hangin around a lot lately. This is the first time they tried something though. I guess that they thought a pretty little thing like you would be an easy mark".

Penny smiled. "Well, maybe not so easy. They did get my bag, I must be slipping. I picked all the stuff up and I'm ready to pay".

Jake looked surprised. "No way… this is on the house… I wouldn't want to lose a customer by thinking the neighborhood is no good. Anyway, it looks like you have an escort home. Leo….onnn, you make sure you get her home safe you hear?"

Leon looked at Penny. "Well that settles it. We have to go now… what do you say? There's a nice place on the next block."

Penny looked at Jake and then back at Leon. "What the hell, just a quick bite though".

With that Leon put out his arm and Penny took it.


	19. Chapter 19

**Own nothing**

Leonard and Pence had an easy early dinner. They talked about working with Stephen Hawking. Although Leonard had been selected by Hawking, he didn't actually get to work with him. He was particularly interested in finding out how much interface there would be with the renowned Physicist. Pence was as forthcoming as she could be. There weren't many on the team that interfaced with Hawking on a one on one basis. Most of the interaction took place through a very few close associates. Pence happened to be working her way into the inner circle and had had some face to face meetings concerning the designs of the new lab.

Leonard wondered. "Do you think that Dr. Hawking will be looking over the Data that we are currently analyzing?"

Pence was pretty direct. "As long as things go as expected, he will probably be in the background. He was very interested in the preliminary data that you worked on in the original expedition but has seen only bits of the follow-up data since. It wasn't until they identified the variant data that got him back into looking closely at it. That's why he asked your University for your help. He was so impressed by your original work, he was sure you could identify if the new data was true or falsely affected by some other variables".

Leonard looked over thinking. "Well, we will be done with the initial data investigation in just a few days. I guess I'll be going back home and then wait for whatever you decide".

Pence agreed. "To be honest, we thought that the initial analysis would take more time. We really won't be able to test any of your theories to clear the aberrations until the new lab is completed. That won't be too much longer. If Dr. Hawking has any more questions, I'm sure he will let Dr. Siebert know".

* * *

Penny sat across from Leon sipping on a white wine to go with her Chicken Salad. "Thanks for the help back there. I really thought my bag was gone."

Leon smiled. "No problem, I was just in the right place at the right time. I was coming to see Uncle Jake. He's been worried about my Mom. She's been a little down. My Dad, Uncle Jakes' brother, passed away a year ago… Lung cancer… and the anniversary is hitting her a bit hard. I work pretty much nights doing the stage work and she works days…. So it's a bit hard seeing her and she just gets down."

Penny reached over and put her hand on Leon's. "That's so sad".

Leon smiled weakly. "Yeah… well… the family sticks together, so we'll work it out. Anyway, what's up with you? You said you would stop by but never did?"

Penny looked surprised he remembered she said that. "Well, I've been pretty busy with this one play Sheila got for me and she has me going to a bunch of others. Nothing big, but they pay the bills". She shrugged her shoulders.

Leon took a sip of his beer. "Well, the convention season is here, so I know I can get you some work if you need it. They are always looking for a pretty face."

Penny was a little leery about this. She had heard about these conventions and the after parties that occurred with the corporate big wigs. The same things went on in LA and she had always steered away from any of those jobs. The money was always good, sometimes better than just good. She suspected those parties went a little too far and expected too much from the girls. Back home, she just took on an extra shift at the restaurant instead of going for that kind of work. "Gee… I don't know… I'm pretty busy right now, I don't know if I would have the time to put in the hours. They go all day sometimes…"

Leon saw that this was making Penny uncomfortable. ""That's fine…. I was just trying to help out… you know how to reach me…." Leon jotted his number down and slid it across to Penny.

Penny smiled. "Well, thanks… I think I'll turn in. I really enjoyed this". Penny got up to leave and opened her purse while putting her napkin on the table.

Leon objected. "No…..No… This is on me."

Penny smiled. "OK thanks, but the next one is mine. I'll be getting on now".

Leon went to take her hand and thought better of it when he saw her flinch. "I told Jake I would take care of you and get you home".

Penny stepped out from the table. "You really don't have to. I can take care of myself. It was nice seeing you."

Leon just watched Penny leave noting which direction she was going. He then noticed that penny had left his number under her napkin.

Penny walked briskly down the block back in the direction of the grocery. She lived in the opposite direction, but she decided to use a circular route.

* * *

Leonard and Pence had finished their meal and she dropped Leonard off at his hotel. Pence had suggested a nightcap, but Leonard decided that he was a bit tired. It was the second time that he had declined to go out for a nightcap with Pence. The first time he was willing to go, but thought better of it. This time he was tired and was expecting his call from Penny. He was going to just sit back in his room and watch some mindless TV to disengage his brain. He was flicking through a few channels when his phone buzzed. He looked over and saw the smiling face of his girlfriend. Leonard answered and sighed into the phone.

Penny picked up on the sound immediately. "Sweetie? Is everything OK?"

Leonard smiled and rubbed his eyes. "Yeah…. Just glad to see your face on the phone. You know… a hard day at work and you finally get to sit down… Well, I was talking all day about technical stuff and when I saw your face, I just was so relieved."

Penny questioned. "So I'm just your dumb girlfriend? You can check your brain at the counter?"

Leonard sat straight up. "NO… Not that at all… It's just so comfortable talking to you. I just miss sitting on the couch and just holding you and watching one of your dumb movies… Or….ORRRR… one of MY dumb movies…. I miss going to the pond and sitting and not having to talk at all… just holding you… being comfortable… and content…"

Penny smiled. "Actually, I wanted the same thing… I just wanted to hear you talk... I don't even care what you talk about… I just want to hear your voice…. It makes it feel like we're closer… Sweetie.. when are you coming home?"

Leonard smiled. "Probably next week. I was going to look into flights. I'll see if I can schedule through New York. Sometimes they go through Toronto and then out west. I really want to see you though."

Those were just the words Penny wanted to hear. "Leonard...that's great... I can't wait..." They spent the rest of about an hour just making small talk and listening to each other. They ended their call with their usual I Love You and each of them grabbed a pillow to snuggle up to trying with all their heart to pretend it was their lover.


	20. Chapter 20

**Making plans**

**I own nothing**

As luck would have it, the play that Penny was in had finished all the fixes they wanted to make. The run was ending and Penny hadn't picked up another acting job. Sheila had put her name out and she still went to all the auditions she could go to, but nothing seemed to be panning out. There were a few possibilities, but nothing was concrete. Penny was not desperate, but she thought that it would be nice if something came up. If nothing came up soon, Penny was going to have to reconsider something on the convention circuit.

* * *

Leonard had spent the next week finalizing as many issues as he could talking to Colin and Nigel about the possibilities and giving them a few avenues to explore. He really didn't see any further need to be away from home. Most of his evenings were spent with his three friends Colin, Nigel and Pence. Colin was constantly putting the moves on Pence and she was always fending them off and finding her way to Leonard for cover.

* * *

Penny had just gotten off the phone with Sheila. There were a few things she had lined up, but the current show was going to end in the next week. Penny was a little disappointed but figured she could pick something up. Penny's thoughts returned to Leon and the convention circuit. Unfortunately for Penny, she did not have Leon's number. She had purposely left it on the table when he gave it to her because she was not sure if he was trying to get her into side jobs that required putting out more than she was willing to. She could have easily gotten into low grade skin flics back in LA if she was that desperate. Now, however, her options were a little limited. She needed money.

* * *

Leonard was finishing up his work and found a flight back home. He tried to schedule a little vacation time with his department secretary. As they were talking, Dr. Gabelhauser entered the office and took the phone from the secretary. "Dr. Hofstadter, it is good to know that you are coming back. We have had a few requests to start some research with our laser array, but the Doctoral assistants are not getting along with Dr. Winkle. We would actually prefer if you would not take vacation at this time. As soon as you can get the situation workable back here we would be more than happy to accommodate whatever your needs would be."

Leonard was a little disappointed. "Thank you Dr. Gabelhauser, I'll be back as soon as I can." Leonard then turned to his laptop and scheduled a flight to New York. He would schedule a flight back to Pasadena when he got back to the States.

* * *

Just as Penny was trying to remember what show Leon was working at, Sheila called. "Penny, honey, I might have something for you. It's not big and it will be pretty much long shifts on your feet, and it won't be for a long time, only about a week or so".

Penny smiled. "Long shifts? On my feet? Not for a long period of time? Sounds like how I started out in LA. Waiting tables until I could become a star."

Sheila laughed into the phone. "Well, it's not waiting tables, but it could loosely be considered acting".

Penny was confused. "Loosely?"

Sheila was more direct. "Penny… You haven't been too lucky in picking up any new parts. Your apartment is subsidized, but if you get no work at all…. That will not be an option for you any longer. This job will satisfy the requirements you need to stay. If you don't take it you may need to find another apartment, and let me tell you…. The cost will be much higher".

Penny was getting nervous, but thankful for the frank explanation. "What is the job?"

Sheila sighed. "OK… now this is only a short time thing, and I am really hopeful on a couple of other plays…. So keep an open mind".

Penny was a little more calm. "Sheila…. What…. Is… the… job?"

Sheila answered, "It's a convention job".

Penny was now very aprehensive. "This isn't going to require any 'extra curricular activities' is it?"

Sheila answered. "Oh my god... NO... we have a professional relationship and I won't compromise my reputation for anyone or anything. It's a modeling job at this year's New York Comic Convention".

Penny was completely overwhelmed. "Comic Con? Are you saying that I would have to parade around in some space… fantasy… horror… super hero… costume"?

Sheila was surprised by the response. "You know about this stuff?"

Penny giggled. "You might say I have had some exposure to it. My boyfriend and his friends are big into this stuff. He has been asking me for a while if I would go dresses up as some TV show or movie bimbo just to parade me around on his arm. He keeps bringing up some Princess Slave Girl Bikini thing. And then there was a New Year's Eve Party once where I went as Wonder Woman".

Sheila laughed. "Well, you seem to be all over this, but I don't think that Princess Leia is in this year. I'm sure there are plenty of other costumes that will exploit the female figure, and I think you can pull them off. The pay is pretty good and it's only for a week. You'll have at least some choice, and I have some other auditions lined up. Just let me know your schedule and we will work that all out.

Penny hung up the phone and just stared into the empty apartment. "Leonard will be so surprised when he finds out, and so pissed the next time I turn him down for Comic Con.".

* * *

Leonard was back in his hotel and checked his phone for the time. He texted her:

**Can you talk? L**

Penny was sitting on her couch leafing through some lines that Sheila had sent her for an audition a little later that evening when her phone buzzed. She saw that it was from Leonard and Texted back:

**Sure, what's up? P**

Leonard dialed Penny's phone. "Hi Penny?"

Penny answered with a smile. "Sweetie, what 's up"?

Leonard was excited. "Are you up for a little visit?"

Penny almost dropped her phone. "Are you serious? When?"

Leonard smiled at her voice. "I land in New York early Saturday morning".

Penny could hardly believe it. "How long can you stay? This is so great. Oh Sweetie…"

Leonard finished. "I can only stay one day, it's gonna be a long day, but I have to fly out to Pasadena on Sunday. The University needs me out there to start some new testing. Apparently Leslie is causing some problems and none of the Doctoral Assistants can work with her."

Penny was sad. "I'll pick you up. I might have something going on but it won't be all day. OH Honey… I miss you so much…"

They talked a bit longer. Penny didn't tell Leonard about the Comic Con job, she thought he would be so excited to go, she would surprise him with it. She really had to find out what her schedule was going to be. Sheila said she would line up some auditions. Penny hoped things would work out. She wasn't going to miss a chance to finish what they started in the airport in Chicago.


	21. Chapter 21

**New York... New York**

**Own nothing**

Leonard's plane landed and he quickly deplaned. He was in a hurry to see Penny. He wasn't going to be in New York for long, and he didn't want to miss a minute. Leonard went through the security gates and looked for Penny. He was surprised that she wasn't right there waiting for him. Leonard decided to go to baggage claim and get his bags. He pulled out his phone to text Penny where he would be.

Just as he was about to press send, a tap on the shoulder from behind got his attention. "Hello sailor, need a ride?" Leonard was surprised by the touch. Excited by the fact that his girlfriend was finally here, he turned quickly not really registering the voice was a touch deeper and had a distinct Brooklyn accent.

When Leonard turned, he exclaimed "Penn…. Umm… sorry… I thought…" He came face to face with a tall brunette smiling at him.

Sheila held out her hand. "You're Leonard right?"

Leonard was now confused. "Yeah?..."

Sheila smiled. "Relax Honey, Penny couldn't make it. She's at an audition and she asked if I could pick you up. I'm her agent Sheila".

Leonard smiled and shook her hand. "Oh… good… context".

Sheila looked at Leonard. "Penny said that those would be your exact words. She really knows you to a T". Leonard just smiled and nodded. Sheila continued. "We'll just drop off your things at her place and then I can take you over to where she is auditioning."

Leonard followed. "Fair enough"

* * *

The ride over to Penny's apartment was pleasant enough. Sheila asked about what Leonard was doing in London and how much time he would be spending in New York and what exactly it was that he did back in California. Leonard answered all the questions posed and asked some of his own as to what kind of auditions Penny was going on, what she had gotten and what Sheila thought of Penny and her prospects.

Sheila hedged at the last question. "Well, to be honest, the big shows in New York are a lot more musical than really suites Penny, She could be fine in a chorus, but starring roles are hard to come by without a good set of pipes…. Now…. That doesn't mean she can't make it, there are some really nice dramatic roles, just not that often. I'm trying to get her some modeling things to fill in the gaps. She's not too keen on the idea, but ya gotta pay the bills. This is a tough business". Leonard just nodded in agreement.

They dropped off Leonard's things quickly just inside the door and went off to the audition. Sheila let Leonard off in front of the theater and told him where to go so Penny wouldn't miss him. She then drove off and wished him luck.

* * *

Leonard went into the theater and went down the side aisle to the front of the theater and made his way to the wings of back stage. He saw small groups of people talking here and there and others off to themselves reading lines. It didn't take him long at all to find Penny off to herself going over some sheets of paper. Leonard was very quiet and stood just looking at Penny with a determined and concentrated expression on her face.

Penny came to the end of a page then closed her eyes to try and envision the scene. When she opened her eyes she looked off to her right and saw someone standing looking at her. She smiled, a little embarrassed before she realized it was Leonard. Penny immediately dropped her script and launched herself at Leonard covering the distance between them quickly. As she approached him, Penny leaped at Leonard almost knocking them both to the floor as she flung her arms around his neck and somewhat aggressively kissing him.

Leonard, for lack of a better term, caught Penny mid-flight and stumbled backward until he found his footing. He held her tight and returned the kiss with as much passion as he had in him.

When Penny pulled away, she hugged Leonard tightly and put her head on his shoulder. "Sweetie… I've missed you SO much…"

Leonard immediately took a large whiff of Penny as he buried his nose in her hair. "I've missed you too".

Just then, Penny's name was called. She gave Leonard a quick peck on the lips and went on stage.

Leonard looked after her "Good Luck". Leonard made his way down to the seats in the theater. He took a seat off to the side and where there was no lighting. He didn't want to make Penny nervous. He sat and watched as Penny went through a couple of readings. He was amazed how well she had done. It seemed to him that she had gotten better since he had last saw her act in one of the regional plays back home in California.

When she had finished, Leonard made his way back behind stage. He found Penny and he walked up and gave her a hug. "You were great! Are you finished?"

Penny smiled. "With this one, yes but Sheila has me going to another in a couple of hours and then I have a job tonight. Sweetie, are you hungry? You've been on the plane so long."

Leonard shrugged his shoulders. "I could eat".

* * *

They walked out of the theater and down a couple of blocks to a small place that Penny knew the food was good. It was also dark and cozy so they could talk. They took corner booth in the back of the Pub. Leonard got in first and Penny slid in next to him. She immediately snuggled into his side pulling her feet up on the bench next to her. "Leonard this is so nice. You must be so tired. I'll make it up to you. The next audition will be short and then we need to go back to my place. I have to pick up my costume for my job tonight. Then when I'm done….. I'm all yours. When do you have to leave tomorrow?"

Leonard yawned. "Well.. my flight is early afternoon so we'll have to get to the airport before noon." They both ordered a sandwich. Penny had water and Leonard ordered a Red Bull. He wanted to stay awake for her. The next audition was short just like Penny thought it would be. She knew the lines and she didn't have to do multiple scenes. This play was being put on by the same people that she was working with on the play that was closing. They already knew her work, they just wanted to get a feel for the material and see how she would look.

* * *

After the audition, Penny brought Leonard to her apartment and opened the door. She led him in somewhat embarrassed at the size of the apartment. Leonard smiled. "This is so cute, and homey".

Penny just laughed. "Yeah sure whatever". She then grabbed him and kissed him passionately. When they broke, Penny sighed and stared into his eye. "Boy, I wish I didn't have this job tonight. I'll bet you'll like it though, wait here." Leonard sat on the couch and waited.

Penny went into the small bedroom and came out a while later dressed in a Black Widow Costume. She came out to find Leonard dozing on the couch. Penny sat next to him and gave him a small kiss on the cheek. Leonard's eyes fluttered open and he pulled back seeing Penny in a red wig and a black body suit that would make most adolescent males eyes roll back in their head. "Penny? What's going on?"

Penny giggled. The job I have tonight is being a hostess at the Marvel Booth at the New York Comic Con. I was going to surprise you, but you look so tired."

Leonard stood up pulling Penny to her feet so he could see her better. "I'm good… I'm good… where's the Red bull"?

Penny smiled. "Are you sure?"

Leonard smiled back. "Are you kidding?... I've been trying to get you to Comic Con for a while now. I'm not missing this. And could you imagine the look on Sheldon's face when he sees the picture of us with Thor and Iron Man?"

Penny put on a long coat, took his arm and they left the apartment. "Yeah… Right?"

* * *

The convention was great. Leonard had a fantastic time walking around with Penny on his arm and going from exhibit to exhibit. He even sat in on a panel discussion for the new TV Show Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. It was a long night and Penny was finally done.

Penny and Leonard got back to her apartment late that night. Penny couldn't wait till they could be alone. When they got into the apartment, Leonard shed his clothes quickly and sat in bed waiting for Penny.

Penny had to get out of her costume and then take off the makeup she had on. When she finished hanging up the costume and putting away the wig, she was ready to get up close and personal with Leonard. When she went to get into bed, she found him sound asleep. He looked so peaceful and she knew he must have been exhausted. Penny just crawled into bed, pulled Leonard's arm around her and snuggled deep into his hold falling asleep a little disappointed, but with a small smile on her face.


	22. Chapter 22

**All good things... but  
**

**Own nothing**

The next morning, Penny woke first. She had migrated to be laying on Leonard's chest using his left shoulder for a pillow with their legs intertwined and her left arm across Leonard's waist. She tenderly lifted herself off and propped her head on her right hand to watch him sleep. She knew that he was going to fly back home soon enough and watching him sleep was almost as good in her mind as having sex with him. She wanted to remember this moment so she could replay it in her head when she felt lonely.

Penny was lost in her thoughts when Leonard opened one eye. He noticed that Penny had not seen that he was awake and he seized the moment. Leonard quickly turned into Penny flipping her on her back. She responded by throwing her arms around him and pulling him down for a kiss. When they parted, Leonard propped himself up and started to trace circles on Penny's belly just above the waistband of her panties. She gasped just a little at his touch and then moaned softly. Leonard then slid his hand down the inside front of her panties and between her legs. Penny then pulled her legs tightly around his hand. "Leonard, stop… I have to Pee… Don't go anywhere…. I'll be right back".

Penny quickly hopped out of bed and into the bathroom. Leonard looked over as she went "That is such a buzz kill".

Penny laughed as she half shut the door. "Don't worry Sweetie, I'm sure you're gonna like what happens next".

Leonard then turned and looked at his phone and saw that it was half past ten. His flight was at twelve thirty. Leonard jumped out of bed and started to look around for his luggage. "Penny… I have to get going…"

Penny popped her head in the door and exclaimed "What?... No freekin WAY... Not this time!"

Leonard started to pick up his clothes as Penny, now completely naked, jumped on his back piggy back style. "You're not going anywhere".

Leonard reached around and grabbed her thigh and flipped her onto the bed. As Penny went off, she grabbed his t-shirt and pulled it half off. Leonard was surprised by the move, stood up, and started to straighten out his shirt.

Penny had rolled off the bed and came up behind him and pulled his boxers to the ground. "You're STAYING".

Leonard turned "HEY". Penny turned him sideways, Leonard's feet were tangled in his boxers and he was knocked onto the bed.

Penny quickly sat on him and pushed his t-shirt up to his chin and proceeded to kiss Leonard's chest while rubbing her thigh into his groin. The struggle that Leonard was putting up quickly lessened as Penny nibbled on his ear.

Leonard weakly protested. "Penny, I need to go".

Penny replied. "I need you to stay!"

Leonard then turned her over and proceeded to kiss her from her neck to her breasts. Penny let out a low moan and spread her legs inviting Leonard in. Leonard turned onto his side and traced Penny's naked form with his hand as he passionately kissed her. Penny's chest started to heave as her breathing increased. Penny sat up and guided Leonard to her. She then leaned forward so their chests met.

Penny wanted this time to be special. They had not been together for a while and their actions proved that fact. Each movement was a little quicker, a little harsher, a little more desperate, more wanting, more needing. Things moved quicker than either would have wanted but both were supremely satisfied.

When they finished, Leonard grabbed for his inhaler and collapsed at Penny's side. Penny exclaimed, "I said it once and I'll say it again… WOW… you really ARE a genius…" A short time elapsed before Leonard rolled off the bed and into the shower. Penny quickly got herself put together and put on a pot of coffee. She knew that time was going to be tight if Leonard was not going to miss his flight, but she didn't care. She wanted the day to be special and they were together even if it was for a short time.

* * *

They barely made it to the airport and had very little time before Leonard's flight was called. Penny didn't want to release Leonard from the embrace she had him caught in. "Leonard, this Comic Con job is only for a week… If I don't pick up on an acting job… can I come home and see you?... "

Leonard smiled, he was still so happy that Penny referred to Pasadena as home.. "Sweetheart… you know that you can come home any time you need or want to. I'll give you my credit card number. You just put the charge on my card. You need your money here."

Penny held him just a little tighter. "Really? Sweetie that so nice… Are you sure?"

Overhead they called Leonard's flight for final boarding. "Leonard lifted Penny's face so he could look into her beautiful eyes. They were filling with tears. "Penny, I would do anything and pay any price to spend just a few minutes with you".

Penny immediately crashed her lips into his. They finally pulled back and Leonard passed through security and onto his plane. Penny sat for a few minutes wiping her eyes and thinking about this whole situation. She misses him so much, but she also knows that she may be getting closer to her dream of an acting career. She hasn't made it yet, but she has had more success in the short time she has been in New York than the entire time she was in LA. If only she could get that big break that would get her noticed.

Leonard finds his seat and lets out a sigh as he buckles himself in and closes his eyes. He thinks back to the whirlwind weekend he just had. Penny looked amazing in that Avengers costume, and this morning… Oh Boy… was that fun. Leonard had thought that Penny would find reasons not to come back to Los Robles, but she kept saying that Pasadena was home. He felt better that she would be coming back in a short while. It would be money well spent. Leonard's plane took off and as soon as they were cruising, he reclined his seat and went to sleep.


	23. Chapter 23

**Moving on**

**Own nothing**

Penny got back to her apartment and picked up the mess that she and Leonard created in the bedroom. She smiled as she straightened out the sheets that were nowhere close to being on the bed. Leonard wasn't the biggest guy she ever slept, but he was sure up there with the best of them. As she sat there thinking, she could feel the telltale signs of being aroused. Penny got off the bed and went to the bathroom to take a shower. It wasn't going to be as fun as it would have been with Leonard, but she would make do. It was something she was getting used to since she moved to New York.

* * *

Leonard spent the flight pretty much in and out of sleep. He was exhausted from the long flight from London to New York and then the long day at Penny's auditions and at Comic Con. He did catch a fairly good night's sleep, but Penny managed to take all his energy away with her morning hijinks. Not that he was going to complain…. He just wanted to catch some rest. Leonard dosed off thinking of what it was going to be like in a week or so when Penny came back for a visit. He needed to figure a way to spend more time with Penny without offending their friends.

* * *

Penny had a lazy day that turned into a hectic evening at the convention. It was the second night, and they were going to have a panel discussion on the new Avengers movie. The rumor was that both Chris Hemsworth and Robert Downey Junior were going to be there. The promoters had asked that all the Hostesses be available.

After two hours of constant bustling, Penny found a corner to sit down. She had gotten a bottle of water and just wanted to be away from the crowd. She couldn't believe how many guys wanted to have their picture taken with her. She wondered if Leonard and the Guys were as obnoxious as some of these people. She was constantly taking their hands off her ass when they got close for a picture. She needed to maintain a pleasant personality which got harder as the night went on.

Just as she was about ready to get back into the fray, she stood and fiddled with her costume getting herself situated. She felt a bump from behind and immediately turned as yet another hand had found its mark. She was not yet in public, so she was going to give this groper a piece of her mind. "Look BUSTER… I don't know what you think you're doing, but it really is… LEON?"

Leon was standing there with a smile on his face and took a step back at the verbal barrage. "Woah… I didn't mean anything by it. I just noticed that it seemed to be open season on your ass. Every guy you seemed to be with, got a feel, I figured I would take a shot." Leon immediately brought his hands up in a defensive posture.

Penny laughed a little. "Yeah, I guess you're right. But … REALLY? You should know better." Penny realized for the first time that Leon was not wearing his typical hoodie and vest. The convention hall was a bit warm from all the people, so all Leon was wearing with his Jeans and sneakers was a t-shirt. Penny could, for the first time see that although Leon was small in stature, he had spent some considerable time either working out at a gym, or his work was very physical. Leon had a nice set of biceps, and what appeared to be at least a decent set of abs. They were not classic six pack abs, but nice just the same.

Leon looked back. "Yeah… sorry… I usually don't do stuff like that. Hey… I thought you said you were going to stay away from the convention circuit"?

Penny shrugged a little. "Well, things haven't panned out just right and you know…. Bills get in the way… so… yeah".

Leon smiled. "Don't I know it. If I could afford to live alone, I would get away from Chuck".

Penny questioned him. "Yeah, what's his deal anyway?"

Leon looked down. "He's not such a bad guy once you get to know him. It's just that he comes off as such a douche. We've known each other since High School. It's just comfortable I guess."

Penny giggled. "Yeah, he is kinda filled up with himself".

Leon smiled. "Anyway, I'm working with the convention center fixing up the booths and hooking up any electronics they need, and I saw you. The red wig threw me for a while, but you can't hide that smile of yours and those eyes…"

Penny blushed just a tad. "Now who's trying to be a player?"

Leon was surprised. "No… Really… I was just working… Anyway,… If you need any more work, the Car Show is coming up at the Coliseum. They always need people. It's not hard work, if you can stand on your feet, and the pay isn't awful. I gotta get back to work, maybe we could get a drink or something." Leon jotted down his number and what show he was working at and gave it to Penny.

Penny smiled. "Yeah maybe. She took the paper and put it into her bra. She didn't have any pockets in the outfit, and she didn't have a napkin to lose it under.

* * *

Leonard's plane had landed at LAX airport and he picked up his bags. Howard was supposed to pick him up, so Leonard culled his bags out to the curb and waited for him to show up. A short while later, Howard and Bernadette drove up and got out to help him put his stuff in the back of the car. Bernadette gave him a hug. "Did you get to see Penny on your way back?"

Leonard smiled, "Yeah, just the one night though".

Howard saw the sparkle in Leonard's eye when he answered Bernadette's question. "One night? I'll bet you guys made the most of it. Is it true what they say about getting back into the saddle? Or would that be a question we should be asking Penny?"

Bernadette looked at her husband. "Howard… that was RUDE!"

Howard smiled. "What? It's just a question".

Leonard just smiled as he got into the back seat. "The saddle is fine, Howard".


	24. Chapter 24

**Penny needs to make some decisions**

**I own nothing**

Penny finished her week at Comic Con. The work wasn't that bad, and the pay was enough to keep things going. She had picked up a few fill in acting jobs but nothing as good as the part she had. Sheila still had some irons in the fire so neither Penny nor Sheila was terribly upset. On the last night, Penny ran into Leon as she was finishing up. She had to leave the costume with the promoters, so she brought along a pair of sweat pants and a Laker's t-shirt.

Leon saw her first. Penny was not paying attention to much, just putting on her jacket. "Yo…. The Lakers Suck…"

Penny looked up and noticed Leon standing by an empty booth. He was in the midst of breaking it down. He was wearing a Knicks game jersey number 17 with "Lin" on the back. Penn could see even more clearly the defined muscles he had hidden up until now. "Yeah… like the Knicks are much better? Too bad they didn't sign Lin, their back court might actually be good."

Leon walked over. "Yeah, well… the owner is a… never mind… So, you a fan? Or is that just left over from an old boyfriend?"

Penny looked down at herself. "This? Old boyfriend? No… I bought this at the Staples Center the last time I was there. The tickets were from my CURRENT boyfriend, but he wasn't there. I went with a friend of mine, Bernadette. Boy is she competitive. And the language that comes out of her mouth?…. Sheesh".

Leon smiled. "So you ARE a fan. You may not believe this, but Uncle Jake and me have season tickets to The Garden. You can scalp the tickets and make a few extra bucks. We should go some time."

Penny closed her jacket. "Yeah, that sounds nice."

Leon smiled. So you finishing up here? Did you pick up any new acting gigs?"

Penny half smiled. "Not really, not anything big… or even small for that matter. Just some fill in dates. Have some more auditions though…"

Leon crossed his arms across his chest. "I'm sure things will pick up. Well, I gotta start breaking all these booths down so… call me…"

Penny put her hands into her jacket pockets. "Yeah… sure… I gotta get going anyway, Bye Leon".

Leon looked over. "Yeah… See ya…"

* * *

Leonard was checking his e-mail and prioritizing his responses. He had been getting more and more questions from different groups on the data implications from the expedition. It appeared that nothing was very secret in the scientific community. He quietly wondered if it was either Colin or Nigel that was letting things out.

Leonard noticed that there was a message from Pence, so he opened that one right away:

**Leonard,**

**Dr. Hawking is sending me to California. He would like me to discuss some issues that have come up. I will let you know of the details as soon as we firm up the arrangements.**

**Pence.**

Leonard had a confused look on his face at that point. He wondered if the issues that came up were leaks within the team that seemed to be running around. He decided that he would not answer any of the inquires without first clearing it with one of the senior members of the team. It sounded like Pence had Dr. Hawking's confidence, so he would start with her.

Leonard decided to answer the message:

**Pence,**

**Looking forward to your visit, let me know he arrangements.**

**Leonard**

* * *

Penny left the building thinking about Leon and the offer of going to see a basketball game at Madison Square garden. It would be kind of neat. She had seen the Lakers a couple of times and she had always heard about the fans in New York. It would be a little different going to a game with a guy that actually understood the game. Leonard always asked so many questions. She always thought that it was cute that he tried to do the things she liked even though she knew he didn't like them. Still… Leon….

* * *

Leonard was sitting at his desk going over an article when his phone buzzed. Taking it out of his pocket, he saw Penny's face as he swiped the screen to answer the phone. "Hi beautiful, what's up?"

Penny smiled into her phone. "Oh, sweetie, I'm so glad you're home. I really needed to hear your voice tonight."

Leonard could tell that something was bothering Penny. "Honey, what's up, are you OK?"

Penny let out a little sigh into the phone. "It's nothing… I finished my Comic Con job tonight and had to turn in my costume. That made me think of you and I was just a little lonely."

Leonard smiled as he wished he could just reach through his phone and give her a hug all those miles away. "Penny, I wish I was there for you, but you know that you can call any time at all OK?"

Penny was really quiet. "I know… it's just that…"

Leonard broke in. "Penny, why don't you tell me what's going on… what has been happening with your acting?"

Penny sighed again. "That's part of the reason I called… things are a little slow. All I have been able to pick up are some fill in jobs. I mean… Sheila has been really great… she tries and tries… maybe it's just me…. She has another audition lined up next week… I don't know…. This is really hard…"

Leonard could tell things weren't going like she liked. "Penny, things will get better, you're just in a little rough patch right now, that's all. You'll see. What is it that Sheila has lined up?"

Penny smiled just a little. "It's another pre-Broadway show thingy. It's by the same people that put out the last one I was in."

Leonard smiled. "See… things will be better… they already know how great you are, it'll be fine…" He knew by the lack of enthusiasm that Penny was upset. He tried to think quickly for more encouraging words. He hated that he wasn't there with her. It was times like these that Penny would sometimes pull out the bottle of wine. All he could think of was when CSI had cut her scene even after they had shot it and told her that it was going to be on. She was so excited, she told her family and all their friends were waiting to see her on TV. Penny was so embarrassed, she left his apartment and went and drowned her sorrows in a bottle of red wine. There was no telling what she would do all alone in New York.

Penny was a little annoyed at Leonard for appearing to trivialize what was going on in her professional life. "Leonard… if I was great… I wouldn't have to work Comic Con to pay the bills". Her voice got very quiet. There was a bit of silence on the call. "Leonard….. could I maybe come home?"


	25. Chapter 25

**I own nothing**

Leonard was surprised by her request. "Penny… of course you can come home. Just let me know when you are coming and I'll pick you up. Everyone will be so happy to see you again."

Penny sighed into the phone again. "Leonard, could we maybe not tell everyone right away? I just want to spend some time with you that isn't so rushed. Everything seems to be so rushed with us…. The airport in Chicago… and then when you were here… Everything just seems off and I want it fixed".

Leonard smiled. "So we should just do a soft reset of the systems… that seems like something we could do".

Penny was a little confused. "I don't know what you're thinking… but I would like all systems hard and ready to go".

Leonard blushed into the phone. "Ummm…. Yeah…. I was talking like resetting a computer… when you do a reboot….. it's a controlled reset….. and called a… a soft…. Nevermind….. sure all systems ready to go".

Penny smiled at the stammering coming from her boyfriend. She could almost see the sweat forming on his forehead. "Thanks Sweetie… I'll try to make my flight come in in the middle of the afternoon so you could get away from Sheldon. I really appreciate this… I can't wait to see you".

Leonard and Penny had one of their comfortable conversations about almost nothing at all catching up on what was happening with their friends and how much of a pain Sheldon was being. It seemed that he was not adjusting at all well to having Leonard jet setting across to England at the drop of a hat and then having Penny appear seemingly out of nowhere. It seemed to Leonard that Sheldon had become more obsessive compulsive about the order of things, if that was at all possible.

* * *

After they hung up, Penny went through her mail to see if Sheila had anything planned for the next week. There was nothing on the calendar, so Penny typed up a quick note telling Sheila that she was going to go on a little vacation back to Pasadena for the next few days and that she would be back in New York in no later than a week. Penny then found the note that Leonard had left his Credit Card Number on and started to check the internet for flights to California that weren't too expensive.

* * *

Leonard decided that he wanted to make the time that Penny spent in Pasadena special he went over to the bowl by the door and took Penny's spare key and went directly over to 4B. When he opened the door, he turned on the lights and looked around. Everything was in its place. The apartment looked nice and picked up. It was as she left it. To Leonard, it looked too clinical. There was something missing. He couldn't put his finger on it. Leonard walked around the apartment looking at the neatly stacked magazines and the cushions in their places, the neatly stacked dishes. All the pictures on the refrigerator level and evenly spaced. Something was off, he just couldn't place it. Leonard continued into the bedroom and looked at the made up bed with the military corners. Everything nice and crisp. The care bears all lined up in ascending height. The pillows just so on the bed. The closet closed and the dresser top completely cleaned off. On the night stand there as a picture of the two of them set at an angle that seemed to follow you across the room, their eyes seemingly moving with his steps. Leonard went into the bathroom and found that the towels were neatly stacked on the vanity with a new, unpacked toothbrush beside them.

It hit Leonard like a ton of bricks… Sheldon was the last person to be in the apartment. He must have felt the need to straighten up after Penny had left to go back to New York. Leonard knew exactly what was wrong. The apartment didn't feel like it was lived in, at least not by Penny. She never would have, even on her best day, had the apartment in this state. Leonard smiled He had an idea on how to make Penny's return seem more special.

* * *

Penny booked a flight that would land at LAX international at Two Twenty in the afternoon. That was great for her. Leonard would just have to figure out how Sheldon would get home. She didn't care about Sheldon. She just wanted to have some time to herself with Leonard. She texted Leonard a quick note about the flight and then e-mailed him with the details of the flight and then packed a bag. She thought she would pack light, she wasn't really planning on using too many outfits anyway. She then thought that she would have just enough time to go shopping for something just for Leonard. Penny closed up her bag and went out the door and took the subway to Times Square. She had her eye on some special undies at Forever 21.

* * *

Leonard decided to go out for some things in order to put his plan into action. He stopped at trader Joes and picked up an assortment of red and white wine that Penny had liked as well as some fresh vegetables and fruit for a snack. He also went to pick up some current magazines and some cheese popcorn. He finished his trip by picking up some aroma candles.

Later that night, he would put his plan into action. He had everything he needed, he just needed a little time to make it perfect.

Penny was going to have to go to bed early. Her flight was leaving just before Eight Thirty in the morning. Normally, she wouldn't even think of getting up at that hour. She was going to have to be at the gate by seven AM the latest. That meant she was going to have to get up at the ungodly hour of five thirty.

Leonard's phone buzzed and he opened the text message from Penny. She was coming in at two thirty the next day. That was just enough time to get things done.


	26. Chapter 26

**Penny comes for a visit**

**Still own nothing**

Leonard finished with dinner in 4A. As he was picking up, he mentioned to Sheldon, "Sheldon, I'm feeling a little down tonight. I think that I'm just going to spend the night at Penny's".

Sheldon looked over as Leonard placed the remainder of the empty Chinese food containers in the garbage. "Leonard, sitting alone in an otherwise empty apartment serves no purpose at all. Your time would be much better spent in engaging conversation about some stimulating topic, perhaps a rousing conversation on the qualities both pro and con of the Green and Red Hulks".

Leonard looked over. "Sheldon, I would just like to sit in Penny's apartment and maybe call her. It would make me feel closer to her."

Sheldon shrugged. "If you must?... You must. Just be careful to treat the apartment with respect. It took me all day to straighten it up into its current state of equilibrium. Prior to this, it was a whirling state of entropy".

Leonard smiled. "I'll do my best to RESPECT the apartment". With that, Leonard went over to 4B. Earlier in the day he has deposited the Magazines and the food with the other things. He just needed some time to get things set.

Penny was pleased with her little shopping spree. She was sure that she had just the right attire for Leonard. When she got back to her small apartment, Penny quickly packed her new purchases. As she poured herself a glass of wine, her phone buzzed. She immediately smiled as the picture of her and Leonard came up. "Hi Sweetie, I was just thinking about you."

Leonard smiled. "Yeah? What about?"

Penny giggled. "Oh…. Nothing…. You'll find out soon enough. I can't wait to see you tomorrow. Did you get out of dealing with Dr. Wackadoodle?"

Leonard chuckled. "I think I have just the thing that will keep him out of our hair for a few days". After a short conversation about when Penny's flight would be in, they said their good nights to each other. Each ending the call with an anticipation filled picture in their mind and a smile on their face.

Leonard spent the night in Penny's apartment. He watched a few episodes of Babylon 5 knowing full well that Sheldon would never put up with that. When the evening wound down, Leonard went into Penny's bedroom and pulled back the crisply made comforter and sheets and crawled in.

In the morning, Sheldon found that Leonard had not returned from Penny's apartment. He quickly went across the hall and knocked.

Knock… Knock… Knock… Leonard

Knock… Knock… Knock… Leonard

Knock… Knock… Knock… Leonard

Leonard came to the door with his hair disheveled and reddened eyes. "Sheldon, what is it?" Leonard proceeded to cough and sniffle.

Sheldon took two steps back and pulled his t-shirt collar over his nose. "Leonard, what is the meaning of your tardiness? We will be late for work".

Leonard looked at his roommate. "Sheldon, I think I've come down with something. Howard is on his way over to pick you up. Maybe you could get Amy to take you home. I need to get some rest".

Sheldon took one more step back. "Those seem sufficient accommodations for my transportation. Perhaps you should stay quarantined in Penny's apartment until this affliction has subsided."

Leonard coughed again. "That was what I was thinking. And don't worry about checking up on me. If I need anything…. Anything AT ALL… I will let you know."

Sheldon looked at Leonard as he started to close the door. "Very well, Leonard, rest well". Sheldon went down the stairs to wait for Howard.

Penny's flight came in on time and she practically ran through the security gate when she noticed Leonard waiting on the other side. She leapt at him flinging her arms around his neck and slamming her lips into his as he caught her and twirled the two of them around. When they broke from the kiss, penny just repositioned herself into a comfortable hug and squeezed Leonard for all he was worth.

Leonard giggled a little as she finally let go. "My goodness… A little happy to be home?"

Penny smiled. "Home is where the heart is, and right now… my heart is right here with you". They picked up Penny's bag and went straight home to Los Robles Avenue. Penny held Leonard's hand all the way home from the airport letting it go only to get out of the car in the parking lot. They bounded up the stairs and Leonard quickly opened the door to 4B. Penny entered first and couldn't believe what she saw.

Leonard had placed a vase of roses on the coffee table with two glasses and a bottle of wine chilled in a bucket of ice. As she looked around, she noticed that there was also a pile of magazines shuffled around on the coffee table and through the apartment there were assorted items of clothing strewn about. T-shirts, tops of assorted colors, shorts, sweat pants and even one of her bras hanging from the handlebars of her pink bicycle. She looked to the kitchen and saw some dishes in the sink, more pictures on the fridge, some from when she and Leonard were at Comic Con in New York and a trail of clothes into the bedroom. When she got to the Bedroom, she saw the bed with the covers pulled up, but clearly the bed had been slept in. She continued to the bathroom where she saw a towel that had been used on a hook and some unlit candles around the room.

Penny turned to Leonard and smiled. "What did you do?"

Leonard smiled a wide grin. Sheldon had disinfected the entire place. It looked like something you would see in Good Housekeeping. It wasn't you… I wanted you to feel like it was home… You know… that unique Penny lived in look…. We can have some wine and then maybe later, you can take a relaxing bath. I can light the candles."

Penny pulled Leonard in for a hug and then walked him back into the bedroom kissing him the whole way. When they got to the bed, Penny gently pushed Leonard down and stared down at him as she pulled her top over her head. "I have a better Idea. Penny proceeded to undress Leonard as he did the same to her. They tried to take things slow, but as it was, they were still out of synch. Each was satisfied, however, and Penny got out of bed first walking over to the door to the living room.

As Leonard looked at her magnificent form walking away, Penny looked over her left shoulder. "I'll get the wine. You light the candles."

Leonard quickly went into the bathroom and lit the candles while filling the tub with warm water, bath salts and bubble bath. Penny entered the room with two poured glasses of wine and placed them next to the tub. She caressed Leonard's face and stepped into the tub beckoning him to join her. Leonard did not need to be coerced. He eagerly followed and they attempted to see if they could continue to synchronize their wants and desires.


	27. Chapter 27

**Complications?**

**Own nothing still**

In the morning, Penny had awoken first, lying just within the embrace of Leonard. He had his hand on her naked hip. This aspect of their relationship had not changed. It was a restless night for her however. They had moved their sexual ministrations to the bedroom after drying each other off. Things seemed to be getting, for lack of a better term, "better". They were still "off" she couldn't put her finger on it. She was sure that she loved Leonard, and he had never indicated that his feelings for her had changed. The only thing that changed between them was that there was now distance between them. They only got to be together rarely.

Penny always heard that absence made the heart grow fonder. What she had experienced with Leonard, however, was that absence made her heart more needy. She needed to feel his arms around her, needed to feel his warm breath on the back of her neck as he held her close, needed the intimate moments that they were not able to share all too often. Penny knew that she was a sexual person. She was never shy, even experiencing an odd one night stand on occasion. It was nothing she was very proud of, she just never had a problem moving her relationships in a physical direction sooner rather than later. The only exception to her normal progression of physical intimacy was with Leonard. It literally took them two years before they became physical with each other. Their relationship endured so many ups and downs and misunderstandings, it was hard for her to grasp. To everyone else, Leonard and she were the perfect match. It still took her almost losing him to Priya for her to admit to herself that she loved him. She didn't even admit it to Leonard except for that angry discussion over Cole.

Now… something just felt different. Even this morning… after the night of passion after being apart. Things were "Okay", but they were not like they were before she left for New York. She was lying next to him and his hand was just on her hip. Before she left, every morning after a night spent together, they seemed to be closer, snuggled tighter than when they went to sleep, legs intertwined, his arm holding her close. Something was different and she didn't like it.

Penny rolled over and looked onto his sleeping face. It was something that she had done countless times before. He was always so peaceful and seemed so content. Now, as he slept, his face seemed a little more bland, his features were a little rougher, less content. She couldn't put her finger on it.

Leonard started to move. Penny placed a hand on his chest and gently kissed his lips. Leonard's eyes fluttered open and he smiled. The peaceful expression she loved returning to his face. Penny repositioned herself resting her head on his shoulder and putting one leg between his. She closed her eyes and moaned slightly rubbing his chest as her eyes started to moisten just a little.

Leonard yawned and sat up as Penny rubbed her eyes. "What do you say we go get some brunch?"

Penny looked surprised. "We might run into the Shamy".

Leonard lost the smile. "Oh yeah… Ok… I'll start breakfast while you take a shower."

Penny sat up and pulled the sheet to cover her chest. "Alone?... Really?"

Leonard got out of bed and pulled on a pair of boxers. "Don't worry, we'll get back to business. I have to check some e-mail. There have been a lot of questions on the information from the expedition. They think someone is leaking the data that has some problems".

Penny reluctantly got out of bed dropping the sheet and swaggered over to the bathroom door. "Your loss".

Leonard sighed. "I guess I could help you with your back". Penny smiled and went to start the shower.

After breakfast was over, Leonard took a cup of coffee to the couch and reached for his laptop. Penny was washing the dishes they had used. When she finished, she poured the last of the coffee into a mug and stood behind the island looking at Leonard. He was so cute. He had a pencil between his teeth sideways that he would take out to jot down some information every once in a while. Other times he would stare at the screen and scrunch up his eyebrows and then look off in space concentrating. Every once in a while he would get a big grin on his face and then quickly jot something in his note pad. Penny just stood and watched holding her mug with both hands and smiling.

Leonard looked up after he took a sip of coffee. "What?... Why the smile?"

Penny walked around the island and sat next to him as Leonard put an arm around her after putting his lap top down. "You look so happy…. In a smart kinda way…"

Leonard giggled. "What is that supposed to mean?"

Penny looked into his eyes. "It's like how you make me feel when you talk all sciency in your lab…. Except there aren't any words… you just look all smart… and sexy…." Penny started to play with Leonard's t-shirt, twisting it around her fingers and giving him a sly smile.

Leonard gave her a quick kiss. "Really?... right after we ate?... and I'm in the middle of this calculation…"

Penny stopped playing with his shirt and sat straight up. "Yes Leonard… I would like you to pay a little attention to me… instead of a page full of numbers…"

Leonard looked on in confusion. "What is that supposed to mean… I went out of my way to make you feel like you were home… and I think we both have been paying a LOT of attention to each other…."

Penny stood and walked behind the island and put her mug in the sink. "I know… I'm sorry… it's just… I don't know… different… Don't you feel it?... Something is not the same…. I feel that we're…. I'm… working at it more than I should… or did… I want to please you… I don't feel like I am… or I don't know if I am… You seem to like it… but Leonard… things were so easy before… there was no effort… I feel like we're back to that first time after you came back from the North Pole… I mean… it's O-Kay… but…"

Leonard joined her. "Penny… it's fine…"

Penny looked wide eyed at him and said, "SEE?... it's FINE… you said it's FINE…. Leonard it's supposed to be GREAT…. And it was… now it's JUST FINE!" Penny turned and went into the bedroom and shut the door behind her.

Leonard stood there watching what was happening. He hung his head and let out a sigh then looked up, "Penny…. Wait…" Just then his phone buzzed with a text message.

It was from Pence:

**Flying in to LAX tonight. Can we meet?**

Leonard looked at the text. A million scenarios were going through his head. NONE of them were ending well. Leonard turned the knob on Penny's bedroom door and quietly walked in. "Penny"?


	28. Chapter 28

**Surprises... and questions **

**Still own nothing**

Penny was sitting on the bed facing the bathroom door. She was holding a few of her care bears in front of the pillow that Leonard had slept on the night before. She had her nose buried in it taking a deep breath.

Leonard repeated the question. "Penny?"

Penny picked up her head and just looked at the bathroom door. "You never liked my bear collection".

Leonard came around the bed and sat next to her. "Well, they were all staring at me. It was like they didn't approve of what we were doing… It was kind of creepy".

Penny smiled. "They're so cute… how could you not like them…. Maybe they were just jealous… cause you could do stuff with me".

Leonard took her hand. "Penny, what is it? What is making you uncomfortable? I just want you to be happy. This is a mini vacation for you. No stress."

Penny leaned her head on his shoulder. "I don't know, it's just…. This shouldn't be so hard Leonard… I love you and everything seems so out of whack… like we're not on the same page anymore. It used to be… I could almost say the same words you were going to say…. Not the really smart ones… just the regular stuff like with Bernadette and Howard. Now it feels different…. I don't want it to be different Leonard".

This was one of the things that Leonard was afraid of when Penny left. He was afraid that they would grow apart. Leonard took the two bears and placed them back on the night stand facing away from them. Penny smiled. Leonard then pulled her into a hug. "I feel it too Penny, I thought it was just me being insecure again. I think we need to just not think about it so much. Like the second time…. remember? We broke the bed…."

Penny smiled at Leonard and giggled a bit. "Yeah… Like the that time…" Penny gave Leonard a sly smile and then pushed him back onto the bed and laid down next to him. "Things worked Okay when we took things slow during Leonard and Penny 2.0… Let's go watch one of your space movies. I could use a good snuggle".

Leonard smiled and followed her out to the living room and got some popcorn ready. They sat and watched the new Star Trek Movie. Penny just sitting under Leonard's arm with her feet pulled up on the couch under an afghan. "Should we go out of the apartment tonight? Maybe let Sheldon know I'm back from New York?"

Leonard looked down at Penny. "We could do that… sure.. but I got a text message before and I need to go to LAX to pick someone up. What do you say we take them out for dinner?"

Penny pulled back. "Who's flying in … and from where?"

Leonard looked a little intimidated. "It's someone from the Hawking team. They're coming over to discuss some stuff about the leaks they think are happening."

Penny smiled. "Oooh a British accent… who is it Colin, or Nigel? Those were the guys you were working with right?"

Leonard gulped just a bit. "Yeah, those were the guys. Well… there were other people too… they get in after Seven PM. We could get a bite to eat and then see what's up".

Penny smiled. "Sure Sweetie, that sounds great. We could go with the guys, unless you think that would be a little too much."

Leonard smiled. "That's a great idea. We can all meet… and then there will be a bunch of people… and that would be great…"

Before they went to the airport, both Penny and Leonard thought that it would be a good idea to get the news out that Penny was back in Pasadena. Penny wanted to make sure that Sheldon was calmed down and not so upset as he was the last time she made a surprise visit. Leonard just wanted everything on an as even keel as possible when Pence walked through the security gate. He figured there would be safety in numbers.

Leonard texted Howard and Raj and told them to meet in 4A for dinner not telling them that there were plans to eat out tonight. Leonard then turned to Penny. "OK, Howard and Raj will be over for dinner at Sheldon's. What do you say we go over and surprise him?"

Penny smiled. "Let me! I'll just open the door and walk in and see what he says." Penny got up off the couch and pulled Leonard into a hug and then gave him a kiss".

Leonard smiled. "What's that for?"

Penny put her head on his shoulder. "Just for being you…"

Leonard smiled wider. "OK… let's get this over with across the hall".

Penny led the way. She simply opened the door and went in and sat down on the couch. Sheldon paid little attention to her as he continued to type on his lap top. Leonard stayed out in the hall out of sight.

Sheldon looked passed Penny as if she was not there looking at the open door. "Oh hello, Penny… nice to see you back in Pasadena… why don't you come in and we can catch up on what is happening with your budding career in the Big Apple…" Sheldon smiled smugly and turned back to his computer.

Penny was not amused. "Sheldon… what was that all about? "

Sheldon turned to look at her. "If you are going to continue to think that you can deceive me about your presence on this coast of the country, you will simply have to find a way to diminish the sound of your rather loud coital activities".

Penny quickly placed her hand over her mouth and mumbled "Oh my God".

Sheldon looked at Penny once again, "Yes... like that" then turned to the door. "Leonard, I likewise do not appreciate your deception and apparently nonexistent aliment".

Leonard simply entered the apartment and sat next to Penny like someone that was summoned to the Principal's Office. "Sorry Sheldon…"

When everyone showed up, Bernadette and Amy were properly surprised and both rushed over to Penny to give her their best hugs. After the greetings were made, Howard asked. "So, what's on the agenda for this evening?"

Leonard spoke up. "Well, one of my colleagues from the Hawking team is coming in tonight, I figured that we could pick them up, then get a bite to eat and then maybe go out after?"

Sheldon was taken aback. "After? GO OUT? Leonard this is against every listed stipulation about nightly scheduled meals…"

Amy interjected. "I'm assuming this is one of the English colleagues. With the English accent that Penny was so taken by in her History class?"

Penny just gave Amy a stare… "Yeah… well, Leonard has been working with these guys Colin and Nigel… Don't you just love those names? So maybe we can take them out to a club and show them what life is like after hours here in LA!"

Leonard just smiled. "That sounds... good".

Everyone agreed except Sheldon who was coerced to come along when Amy told him she would take him to the new Train Expo. They all went in different cars to the airport. When they got to the gate, they were all watching for their visitor.

Amy, Penny and Bernadette were all pointing to the handsome and cute male passengers that were coming through. They were off to one side giggling as they could hear the accents of the arriving passengers. They were not paying attention to where Howard, Raj, Sheldon and Leonard were stand as Pence walked through the gate.

Pence walked up to Leonard and proceeded pull him into a hug as she announced. "Dr. Hoffste…. I mean… Leonard, thank you so much for collecting me from the airplane".

Howard and Raj dropped their jaws along with Amy and Bernadette across from where the guys were standing.

Leonard quickly pulled away and haltingly exclaimed, "Pence… how was your flight?"

Penny's eyes went wide as she crossed her arms in front of her, pursing her lips as she found the gaze of her boyfriend.


	29. Chapter 29

**Old insecurities come out.**

**I guess I own Pence... nothing else**

Penny walked over to Leonard and wrapped her arm around his and smiled with all the acting ability she could muster while sinking her fingernail just a little into Leonard's arm. "Honey… is this your colleague from Cambridge?"

Leonard looked from Pence to Penny. "Umm….. Yes….Yes it is".

Pence could see the look of desperation in Leonard's face. "I'm sorry…." She held her hand out to Penny. "I'm Tuppence…. Leonarrr… Dr. Hofstadter and I have been working together on the new lab project for Dr. Hawking."

Penny smiled back releasing Leonard's arm as he let out a slight sigh. "Penny… LEONard has told me how much he has enjoyed working at Cambridge". She shook Pence's hand and then returned to holding Leonard's arm. "He mentioned working with Colin and Nigel… I guess I was expecting that one of them were going to be coming to continue working here".

Amy and Bernadette stood watching the exchange. They knew Penny better than almost anyone and could almost feel the heat that they could see should be pouring off Penny given that her neck had turned red the minute Pence pulled Leonard into the hug.

Sheldon remarked to Raj and Howard. "I don't know who this woman is, but if she is not careful, Penny will maul her like a rabid Wolverine." Howard and Raj just nodded in agreement.

Pence smiled. "He actually does work with those two, they are quite a pair. But as Dr. Hawking assigned me to be Dr. Hofstadter's good will guide until he was more comfortable with the surroundings, we have worked together quite a bit".

Penny turned to Leonard. "Good… Will… Guide…?"

Leonard took a visible gulp. "Yeah… sort of like…. A Welcome Wagon…"

Howard broke in and patted Leonard on the shoulder. "Stop while you're ahead Buddy… So… Pence… just what are you doing here?"

Leonard decided that these surroundings were not the right place for this conversation and figured a little time would cool off his girlfriend. "OK, let's get a bite to eat."

Everyone filed into their cars. Pence went with Leonard and Penny, Penny clinging to Leonard's arm. Pence got into the back seat as Penny sat in the passenger seat next to Leonard and took hold of his right hand with her left as soon as they got onto the Freeway.

Pence asked, "So… Dr. Hofstadter…"

Leonard broke in. "Please call me Leonard". He looked over to Penny quickly before returning his attention to the road.

Pence continued. "Where do you think we should go for a bite? Do you have any favorites like the Fish and Chips place we went to? Penny… did Leonard tell you about the pub we went to?"

Penny smiled, "Of course he did, we talked often when he was in England." Penny looked over to Leonard and noticed the smallest droplet of sweat forming and rolling down the side of his face. "He told me all about it… how the fish was so crispy… and they had the fries that he likes so much… that you guys call chips…. And how he was out with people from work that day…"

Leonard interjected. "Yes… and I told Pence how I didn't always get to finish the crispy fries here at home because my GIRLFRIEND always ate them before I got to them".

Pence giggled. "He did say that…. I must say, that is quite the cute maneuver. I must try it some time. He did neglect to tell me how pretty his girlfriend is though".

Penny released the grip on Leonard's hand just a bit and rubbed his with her thumb. "Thank you, he neglected to tell me how pretty his colleagues were also".

Pence smiled, looking into the mirror noticing how nervous Leonard looked. "So Penny, what is it that you have been doing? Leonard mentioned something about being an actress?"

Penny lessened her grip on Leonard's hand some more. "Well, I'm actually between plays at the moment, that's why I'm home in Pasadena. I just finished a small modeling job. I have to get back for a few new auditions and I expect to hear in a few days about a new play. So what brings you to sunny California?"

Pence smiled, "Well, Dr. Hawking wanted me to discuss a few things with Leonard. There seems to be a bit of trouble with the data and Dr. Hawking has a small group of assistants that he is associated with at the moment. Being that we have been working together, Dr. Hawking thought that it would be more comfortable if I discussed the sensitive issues with Leonard."

The conversation to the restaurant between Penny and Pence was cordial from that point on. Leonard found himself driving by instinct rather than purpose trying to concentrate on their conversation. He finally found himself pulling in to the Cheesecake Factory Parking Lot.

Penny was surprised at their destination not paying too much attention to the road while talking to Pence turned around in her seat. "Sweetie… you couldn't think of a better place?"

Leonard smiled. "Well, Pence asked if I had any favorite places, and we always came here, and you haven't seen any of your old friends… and besides… Sheldon will be less... Sheldony if we eat where he has eaten before."

Penny smiled as they got out of the car. "Well, I guess you're right there…"

The group went in and was seated at a big round table. When Penny walked in, Cheryl and Kim both came running over to her and gave her a big hug. Before they sat down, Penny was dragged off to the kitchen to talk with the guys in the back.

Kim was all smiles. "It's so good to see you girl!"

Penny smiled back. "I know... I miss you guys... I hated my job... But, I miss you guys".

Kim looked out to the table the and was seated at. "So who's the new blonde that everyone is falling over?"

Penny looked out. "New Blonde?... What new blonde?... Oh... her? She's just someone Leonard was working with over in England. There's some kind of problem with the stuff they're working on".

Cheryl smiled slyly. "It doesn't look like he's having any problems working with her stuff."

Penny frowned. "Hey, it's just work... Okay? I gotta get back. See you guys".

At the table, Leonard sat next to Pence with an empty seat next to him for Penny. Amy sat down next to the empty chair and Sheldon went to sit next to Pence. He had questions for her about the work Dr. Hawking was starting on Dark matter and String Theory. Amy frowned until Bernadette sat next to her and then Howard followed by Raj next to Sheldon.

Penny came out from talking with Kim and Cheryl to notice that Pence was sitting close to Leonard. She immediately took her seat next to him on the other side and intertwined her fingers with his. Leonard was engrossed in a conversation between Sheldon and Pence as Penny's lightly brushed his hand ever so slightly with her thumb.


	30. Chapter 30

**Things get interesting...**

**Still own nothing**

The conversation at dinner was at times light when everyone got to meet and properly greet Pence. Penny easily worked her way into these conversations even answering the questions by Pence about her acting career.

Pence leaned over and asked Penny, "So… Penny, It must be so exciting with your name up in lights".

Penny smiled, "Well… I'd like to give you a witty answer, but right now I'm in an off Broadway production preparing for a Broadway run."

Pence looked surprised. "I was under the impression that you were On Broadway".

Leonard interjected. "No.. I said just like being on Broadway".

Penny looked from Leonard to Pence. "Well… almost… I've got a few auditions in the works. I'm in between shows right now".

Pence smiled. "Still… It must be so exciting".

Penny smiled back and tilted her head slightly, "Yeah…. It isss".

There were also some intense conversations about the studies that were ongoing in Cambridge. Penny was somewhat overwhelmed with these conversations as she almost always was. This night, however, she felt at a particular disadvantage considering that a major contributor to the information was a beautiful young extremely intelligent woman that was sitting far too close to Leonard.

After the meal, Penny had an idea. "Hey, why don't we go out to a club for a few drinks and maybe some dancing?"

Bernadette had been watching her friend through the evening and could see that she was getting more and more agitated with the way the guys were treating Pence. To be frank, she was not real happy with the attention Howard was paying her. "Gee… that sound like fun".

Amy had been watching the interaction between Pence and was irritated by all the questions Sheldon had been passing by trying to get information on potential projects he could work with Dr. Hawking on. "Oh boy… a club night".

Sheldon and Howard just turned and looked at their partners wondering how this was going to play out.

Pence looked over at Penny. "Well, I'm not much of a dancer…"

Leonard smiled. "That's OK… none of us really are".

Penny and Bernadette chirped up. "Hey… speak for yourselves".

Leonard gulped as he saw the look on Penny's face. "I was talking about us guys… You're fantastic Sweetie".

Howard looked over. "Hey I can boogie with the best of them, and I taught Raj all his moves".

Sheldon looked to all his friends and thought, 'This is going to be an unmitigated disaster'.

They gathered their things and went to a nearby club. It was one that was frequented by the girls, so when Penny came up to the bouncer, he quickly looked over the group of friends and after he saw Pence and Bernadette, he let them all in.

* * *

They found a few tables and sat and ordered drinks. The guys crowded around Pence and started to continue the conversation they were having at the restaurant. Penny was a little upset by the attention immediately paid to Pence by the guys. "Pence, do you want to get out from under all this pressure and dance a little? We're going to let off a little energy". Penny gestured to herself, Bernadette and Amy.

Pence smiled. "I'm really not much out there, maybe after another pint".

Penny smiled as she downed a shot of vodka. "Leonard... Sweetie, care to join us?"

Leonard looked over. "Umm… sure… in a sec".

Penny reached over and took another shot. "Fine…. Ladies… Follow me!"

Penny, Bernadette and Amy went to the dance floor and let out some of the pent up energy they had been building since the evening had started. All the time, Penny was keeping an eye on the interaction between Pence and the other guys.

Penny was dancing with Bernadette while Amy was doing whatever it was that she was doing off to the side. "I can't believe they are acting like that around her".

Bernadette tried to smile. "Well, she is beautiful and they can really talk to her".

Penny frowned while keeping an eye on Leonard. "What are you saying… I can't talk to the guys?"

Bernadette looked afraid. "No…No… it's just… Hey, look at Amy go…"

After a while, Penny and the girls joined their group and ordered some drinks. Bernadette and Amy ordered wine, Penny had ordered some shots for her and Leonard. Penny cozied up to Leonard and whispered into his ear. "So, ya want to do some shots of Tequila? I have the lime right here". Penny smiled at him with the lime half sticking out of his mouth.

Leonard hardly noticed with almost his entire concentration being placed on the conversation between Pence, Sheldon and Raj. He slipped an arm around Penny and gave her a quick kiss before returning to the conversation. Penny took a shot and then bit down on the lime. The night progressed in that manner for another hour before the girls had had enough.

Bernadette was the first to speak up. "Howie… I think it's about time we went home, it's getting late". Howard smiled, made his apologies and left with Bernadette and Raj.

Amy was next, "Sheldon, isn't it getting a bit late for you?" Sheldon looked at his watch. "Oh… Alright". He then walked away with Amy, his head down.

Penny stood there with no more support, both figuratively from the girls and literally as everyone had left her and the shots were taking an effect. "Leonard?"

Leonard looked over and then back to Pence. "I guess that it is getting a bit late. Where are you staying?" Pence looked over shyly. "I really don't have a hotel… I was hoping that you could recommend one."

Leonard looked from Pence to Penny and saw the look in her eye. "Well, you could stay in my room. I… mean my room with Sheldon…. I won't be using it… right Sweetie?"

Penny looked over. She thought to herself 'Don't be so sure', but could just picture Leonard and Pence together. She quickly stepped to his side and put her arm around him. "That's right Honey, and I'm sure Sheldon won't mind".

Pence looked a bit uncomfortable at the prospect of being in the same apartment as Sheldon Cooper. "Are you sure this is not an imposition?"

Penny smiled. "Not at all…. Not… at… all".

The three of them got into Leonard's car and drove off to Los Robles Avenue.

* * *

Upon arriving, they walked up to the fourth floor with Leonard helping Penny as she tried to look more in control than she actually was. Penny went for the door to 4B and Leonard opened the door to 4A.

Leonard walked Pence down to his room explaining the morning schedule that she would be expected to follow. "Sheldon has a set schedule for everything. 8:00 – 8:20 is off limits for the bathroom. Plan your ablutions accordingly. If you don't want to wait for a shower, take it earlier than that."

Pence looked confused. "Planned bodily ablutions?"

Leonard smiled, "You've been talking with him all night…. Enough said… I have to get back to Penny".

Pence asked. "Is she going to be alright?"

Leonard looked down. "Yeah… she's good… she'll be fine… good luck in the morning". With that, Leonard closed his room door and went across the hall.

Penny went into 4B flopped onto the couch and waited for her boyfriend to return keeping a watchful eye on the time it would take him to explain the Sheldonian schedule.


	31. Chapter 31

**There air needs to be cleared a bit**

**Own nothing**

As Leonard opened the door, Penny got up and waivered over to her bedroom and closed the door behind her.

Leonard immediately thought that this was not going to be a good conversation. They had already admitted that there was a level of discomfort between them that they both had noticed and needed to work on to fix. He was not sure what had gone wrong tonight, but he was willing to bet that it had something to do with Pence.

Leonard started to walk over to the bedroom door and was surprised to see it open before him. He smiled as he thought that Penny had reconsidered. Instead of her beautiful smile, she walked out with an arm full of sheets and blankets and his pillow.

Penny proceeded to walk over to the couch and throw them down. "Here ya go… have a nice loooonnnng conversation with these tonight". She then proceeded to march right back into the bedroom and shut the door again.

Leonard sighed and looked straight up and rubbed his eyes after removing his glasses. He let out a sigh and approached the bedroom door and opened it gently. Penny was on her side of the bed facing away from the door. Leonard walked around the bed and sat down. Penny quickly turned over to face away from him.

Leonard reached over to touch Penny's shoulder. Penny pulled away. "Go away".

Leonard got in bed and put his arm around Penny. "Sweet Heart, what's wrong?"

Penny sat up and held her pillow to her chest. "What was that all about Leonard? Why were you ignoring me?"

Leonard crossed his legs on the bed and leaned over to touch Penny's knees. "Penny, I was not ignoring you".

Penny got up off the bed and walked over to her dresser and turned around. "Oh really? You didn't dance, you wouldn't drink shots with me. You barely paid any attention to me at all. As a matter of fact none of you guys paid any attention to any of us girls except for your British Chippy!"

Leonard was a bit surprised. "I don't think that's fair".

Penny tossed the pillow on the bed. "Really? This was supposed to be some time for US… Leonard…. You didn't tell me that anyone was coming from England…. And by the way… you seem to have forgotten to mention that you were working with a beautiful smart scientist girl completely! You let me know about Colin and Nigel quick enough… try to explain how Pence just managed to slip through the cracks whenever we called each other…. Huh…? And what kind of a name is Pence anyway?"

Leonard looked a little confused by the mini tirade Penny was involved in. "Actually…. A pence is the English currency equivalent to the American penny…"

Penny looked wide eyed at Leonard. "Penny? Really? OH MY GOD LEONARD!"

Leonard looked confused. "What?"

Penny was a bit angry. "What do you mean… what? She's blonde, she has a killer figure, and she's SMART!"

Leonard got off the bed and walked over to Penny and pulled her into a hug. "Penny, I'm sorry about Pence. I didn't know she was coming today until we spoke about it… well I did know SHE was coming… I just didn't know when… This WAS… um… IS… time for us… you are so important to me… I don't know why I didn't tell you about Pence before… I guess I was afraid you would just tell me again how irrational I was about Cole….and that it was OK now because it was about me and someone with a British accent…"

Penny tried to pull away but Leonard wouldn't let her. "Leonard, we are having enough problems without this… what am I supposed to think… this is just like when I told you I needed to go to New York… or worse… like when you were getting hit on by Alex… What else aren't you telling me? … Huh? … Are we going to start tip toeing around each other again? I hate this!"

Leonard put both hands on the sides of Penny's face and gave her a passionate kiss. Penny was completely taken by surprise and disarmed. She moved her arms up around Leonard's sides and embraced him while returning the kiss. Penny moved them to the edge of the bed. They both eased onto the bed and continued their kiss.

Penny broke away and looked into Leonard's eyes. "Leonard…. Why is this so hard?"

Leonard looked back at her. "I don't know…"

Penny turned around to face away from Leonard pressing herself back into him while pulling his hand up to her lips. She kissed his hand and then held it close to her heart and closed her eyes. They both drifted off to sleep. Not the most restful sleep they had enjoyed, but far from the most fitful.

* * *

The next morning, Leonard woke to the unenviable "dead arm" from laying in the same position all night. Penny was asleep, still clutching his other arm between her breasts. They had slept in the same clothes they wore out to the club. Penny began to stir and her movement released Leonard's hand so he could sit up. Immediately, his arm felt like a thousand needles were poking in it. Leonard started to flex his hand in an attempt to return the circulation to it.

Penny slowly opened her eyes to see Leonard grimace while moving his arm around. "Oh Sweetie… I'm sorry… let me help". Penny then grabbed his arm and started to rub it between her hands which made the pain just a bit worse.

Leonard pulled back. "Hey, you did that on purpose".

Penny giggled. "Yeah, I did". She then pulled Leonard in for a Kiss and he stopped squirming. After they broke apart, each of them had a look on their face. Penny looked over. "Ugh… morning breath... cotton mouth after a night out drinking… I'm so sorry".

Leonard smiled as he swallowed. "Yeah, well… morning breath with you is better than not".

Penny got out of bed and tried to straighten her hair that had somehow gotten all over the place. The dress that she still had on from the night before did not fare well being slept in. It was a cute Navy Blue and Black wrap dress that came to mid-thigh. She looked ravishing in it on the dance floor the evening before. Unfortunately, it was now wrinkled beyond belief. Somehow during the night, Penny had shed her bra and the dress showed a bit too much. She could only imagine what her makeup looked like. When Penny's feet hit the floor, she put a hand to her head and uttered, "I need coffee…"

Leonard followed her to the kitchen and the two of them rummaged through the cabinets. Leonard exclaimed "We're out".

Penny immediately grabbed the spare key for 4A from the bowl and went across the hall with Leonard in hot pursuit.

Penny didn't knock, …as usual…, and marched in on an unsurprised Sheldon sitting in his spot and a somewhat scantily clad Pence standing behind the bar pouring herself a cup of tea. Pence was wearing what appeared to be a pink teddy showing well defined breasts under a short yellow robe drawn loosely closed at the waist. Penny could only assume that she was wearing a pair of matching panties, her shapely legs showing from mid-thigh. Her hair was gathered in a neat bun and she peered out from behind her dark rimmed glasses.

Sheldon exclaimed. "I see that your old habits are hard to break. Please come in…"

Penny just stared at Sheldon. "Good morning Sheldon, do you have any coffee?"

Sheldon looked at his two friends as they walked in. "I see by the condition of your appearance, you both seem to have slept in your clothing… Is there something we need to discuss about your relationship? It has been my understanding from what I have heard and observed over the years that the two of you NEVER sleep together in your clothes. Leonard… am I to expect that I can stop editing the roommate agreement in the anticipation of your moving out and taking up residence with Penny?"

Leonard looked wide eyed at Sheldon… "SHELDON!"

Penny put a hand to her forehead. "Coffee Sheldon… COFFEE".

Sheldon looked at Penny, "I believe that we do have some, would you like to borrow some?"

Penny stopped on her way past Sheldon. "Why else would I be asking?" Leonard continued past Penny over to the coffee maker.

Sheldon smiled. "Perhaps you were just taking inventory… there has been a shortage of Arabica Beans in Columbia reported recently".

Pence stood to the side watching the interaction between these allegedly close friends.

Leonard started to fill the coffee maker with water as Penny came up behind him and placed her arm around his neck and rested her head between his shoulders. Penny let out a muffled, "Good morning Pence".


	32. Chapter 32

**Still a bit uncomfortable**

**Just own Pence**

Pence looked over the lip of her mug of tea. "Good morning Darlings. I must say, there surely isn't any want for excitement this morning... Leonard, what do you have planned for today? Dr. Cooper has indicated that there is going to be a delightful guest lecturer at the University talking on the 'very recent advancements' into UnRu radiation detection".

Leonard looked up from the coffee mugs he placed on the breakfast bar. "The only recent advancements being made, were the ones we were working on".

Pence smiled. "Exactly… now, how do you suppose that they know anything about the studies from Cambridge? Or possibly, they have been conducting studies of their own that we are not privy to?"

Leonard looked from Pence to Penny then back to Pence. "Ummm…. I'll have to see what I have planned…. I think that I was doing something…. But you should definitely go... Sheldon… will you be able to show Pence around the University?"

Sheldon looked up from his bowl of cereal. "As long as everyone is required to be properly dressed". Sheldon shot a stare in the direction of Pence. "I would be more than happy to attend the lecture. Now, if you will just refresh me on your data… I'm sure we could determine if they have had unauthorized access to your information".

Penny tried her best to discretely straighten herself out running her fingers through her hair and shaking her head, then smoothing out the wrinkles on her clothes as best she could while pulling the top of her dress together a bit. She then poured two cups of coffee and handed one to Leonard before sitting on one of the stools.

Penny could see the look of indecision on Leonard's face. She could see that he was clearly torn between what he wanted to do, that being going to the lecture, and what he thought he should do, spend the time with his GIRLFRIEND who just flew in from NEW YORK to spend some time with him.

Penny smiled, thinking back to her acting classes and slid a hand up the back of Leonard's shirt. "Sweetie, why don't you go to the lecture… Amy, Bernadette and I were going to have a Girls night anyway…"

Leonard looked at Penny questioningly. "You were? When did you make those plans?"

Penny took a sip of her coffee. "Oh, did I forget to tell you? We were talking about that last night at the club. I'm sorry".

Leonard looked from Penny to Pence and back to Penny. "Umm… OK… then… I guess it will be the lecture…"

Penny and Leonard finished their coffee and poured another each. Penny got down off her stool and again tried her best to straighten out her dress from the wrinkles and pulled her dress closed a little. "I guess we should be getting back. Thanks for the coffee Sheldon. Sorry about the commotion Pence." Leonard followed her out of the apartment and back over to 4B.

* * *

When Leonard entered Penny's apartment, he closed the door and looked over at Penny who was leaning against the breakfast bar dialing her phone. The phone rang a few times before a high chirpy voice answered on the other end. "Hi Bernadette…. Are you up for a Girls night?"

Leonard looked on in disbelief. "Penny… what are you doing?"

Penny held up a finger to stop Leonard's question. "Don't worry Bernadette… we don't need to drink. We can watch a movie or something and just eat ice cream. I just thought we could catch up."

Leonard tried again "Penny…."

Penny shot him a look whick froze Leonard in his tracks. "Bernadette… could you call Amy? Just tell her it will be low keyed…. Thanks".

Penny put her phone on the bar and took another sip of her coffee.

Leonard looked over. "Penny you didn't have to do that."

Penny turned to Leonard. "Do WHAT Leonard? You CLEARLY wanted to go to the lecture…"

Leonard walked over to her. "Penny…"

Penny looked up from her coffee. "Leonard..., I was NOT going to be the reason you missed the lecture. You said they sent HER because they thought there was some kind of a leak. How would it look if you didn't do your job because you were fawning after some Blonde FLOOZY that sleeps in her clothes after being out at a bar drunk the night before, then parades around the next day with her boobs hanging out, with makeup that looks like GOD knows WHAT, and breaks into apartments stealing coffee… ? LOOK AT ME… I'm so embarrassed…"

Leonard tried to pull Penny into a hug.

Penny pulled away. "Leonard…. Did you see her over there with her perfect hair, with her perfect breasts wrapped in that cute robe and her killer legs… and her SMARTNESS judging me from behind those glasses?"

Leonard looked up. "She was not judging you".

Penny turned to go to the bathroom. "Ugh… You just don't get it… She flies all day, stays up late and then pops out of bed the next morning looking like a freekin BARBIE DOLL... and not just ANY Barbie doll... A SMART Barbie doll! and you guys... you just fall all OVER her... and you ignored us... How do you think that makes me feel?... I need a shower". Penny went in the bathroom and turned on the shower and got in just standing under the water facing the wall toward the shower when from behind her she heard the shower curtain open and Leonard step in.

Leonard proceeded to soap up Penny's back and shoulders. Penny slowly leaned into Leonard's hold and the two of them just stood for a while holding each other.

* * *

After they finished the shower, everyone met over in 4A for lunch. Pence was reading the information on the lecture to Leonard and Sheldon. Amy and Penny were making sandwiches in the Kitchen. Just then, Bernadette and Howard stepped into the apartment.

Amy commented, "Penny, do you really think putting uncooked bacon on a sandwich is the way to go?"

Penny looked down at what she was doing. "Dammit! Just one more thing the DUMB BLONDE girlfriend can't get right".

Just as the Penny was muttering to herself, Bernadette walked over. "What were you saying about a blonde?"

Penny removed the bacon and placed it in a pan to crisp it. "Nothing… nothing…" Bernadette gave Amy a questioning look and received a shrug in response.

After lunch was over, the guys got ready for the lecture while Amy Bernadette and Penny planned their evening.

Penny looked to the group of intelligence milling about by the front door watching how they were all excited for the talk. "Pence, if you would like, and have had enough of the guys by the time you get back, you can come over to my place… we're just going to be watching some girly stuff on the TV and get freaky with a couple of friends of ours… Ben and Jerry".

Pence looked over, not familiar with the reference Penny made to the icecream. "That would be interesting?… we'll have to see."

Pence and the guys left the apartment as Penny mockingly repeated with a musical tone. "We'll have to see… " Penny then gritted her teeth. "She better watch just what she's seeing and WHO she's looking at!"

Amy and Bernadette just looked at each other and then back to their friend.


	33. Chapter 33

**Girls night and beyond**

**Own nothing**

The three friends sat in 4B on the couch and chair, much as they had been doing over the past few years. Assorted dishes of ice cream were on the coffee table. The breakfast island was littered with empty cartons and assorted toppings of nuts, cherries, fudge sauce, whipped cream and butterscotch.

Penny had resorted to opening a bottle of wine, poured three glasses and was in the process of distributing them. "I mean… Really… did you see her this afternoon? Getting all smart and stuff with Leonard… Who does she think she is? And what's up with him… huh? It's like he's never seen smart people before…. He lives with Sheldon for god's sake."

Amy interrupted. "I hardly think that Sheldon's intellect is enough to offset the striking attributes that are paired with Pence's obvious knowledge of the situation that is foremost in Leonard's life right now".

Bernadette looked wide eyed at her neurobiologist friend. "AMY!"

Penny turned from her wine to Amy. "What do you mead… 'the situation that is foremost in Leonard's life'….? And what striking attributes? Her hair?... Her legs?... those damned glasses that make her look so hot? … What am I? CHOPPED LIVER?"

Amy continued. "Penny, Pence is here to try to determine if there is subterfuge going on in the Hawking team. She is a well educated individual that has experience in Leonard's chosen field of endeaver. It's only natural that he would want to join in the hunt for any offenders. This is cutting edge research."

Bernadette tried to defuse the situation. "Penny, calm down… You have nothing to worry about… Leonard loves you… he would never…."

Penny looked over to Bernadette. "Never what? Cheat on me? It's not like he hasn't had the chance with other smart girls. There was Leslie Winkle..., that nympho Doctor friend of Sheldons… and let's not forget Alex… and Pryia! He's just drawn to smart women…. What the hell is he doing with a toothless Okie like me anyway…"

Amy asked, "I thought you were from Omaha?"

Penny bit her lip, put down her glass of wine and went off to her bedroom covering her mouth with one hand, closing the door behind her.

Bernadette looked at Amy. "I don't think that was helpful".

A short time later, the door slowly opened and Leonard led Pence into the apartment. Leonard noticed that Penny was missing from the little group and asked. "Where's Penny?"

Bernadette and Amy quickly got off the couch and rushed over to the door. "Ummm… she had a little headache…. C'mon Pence… let's go back across the hall…" With that, the three girls went back to 4A leaving Leonard with a rather disheveled apartment and a girlfriend that was apparently not feeling well. Leonard proceeded to pick up the dishes from the coffee table, put away all the fixings for the ice cream and throw away the empty cartons of ice cream. He put the wine away and then started to rinse the dishes with hot water to make them easier to clean.

Penny heard the commotion in the living room and slowly peaked out of her room. She saw only Leonard with his back to her standing in front of the sink. He looked so domestic. Penny walked slowly over to her boyfriend and slipped her arms around his waist from behind. She then kissed him between the shoulders and leaned her head on his back.

Leonard smiled and stopped the water, dried his hands and turned to hold Penny as she kept her arms around his waist, now resting her head on his shoulder. "Penny, what's the matter? Do you really have a headache? Or is something else going on?"

Penny didn't make eye contact, she just held on to Leonard. "What do you mean?"

Leonard slipped his hands onto Penny's shoulders and pulled back a little so he could see her eyes. "Penny, you never leave the girls alone in the living room unless something has upset you".

Penny tilted her head down slightly but looked up at Leonard. He thought that the expression on her face was so adorable but a little defensive. "Maybe I was just going to the bathroom".

Leonard smiled. "Bernadette said you had a headache. Which is it?"

Penny dropped her hands and just put her forehead into his chest. "Oh… Balls…." Penny then let go completely and walked over to the couch and flopped down. "I don't know…. What is it that you see in me?"

Leonard sighed. "Penny… again? Really?"

Penny held Leonard's hand fiddling with his fingers. "I'm sorry… I'm just not smart like you guys".

Leonard looked a little annoyed. "Penny… stop, please… I love you and that's all that matters."

Penny looked into Leonard's eyes. "OK…OK… I promise… I love you too… now what was that lecture thingy you went to all about?"

Just as Leonard was going to start telling Penny about what had happened, Penny's phone buzzed. Penny picked it up from the coffee table and looked at the screen. It was a call from Sheila. Penny looked at Leonard who nodded for her to take the call. He got up off the couch and went back into the kitchen to finish the dishes.

Penny answered the call. "Hey Sheila… what's up"?

Sheila was business like on the other end. "Penny, I may have a spot for you in the chorus of a play they are putting on. There is some dancing and singing, so…."

Penny broke in. "Singing?... are you sure?..."

As Sheila answered, Penny could almost hear the shrug she was probably giving her. "Yeah… but not a lot… it's a small part and like I said… it's in the chorus… but it IS a Broadway show."

They talked about a few other things going on when Penny decided to approach Sheila with the prospect that Leon had brought up. "Sheila, what about something on the convention circuit if this stuff doesn't pan out? I hear the car show is going to be in town, and…"

Sheila got quiet for a bit. "You've been talking to Leon again haven't you?"

Penny looked down. "Well… the Comic Con thing paid the bills…"

Sheila spoke up. "Look… Penny… the Comic Con group is a bunch of nerds… grown up nerds… but still nerds… they wouldn't know what to do with you alone if their life was on the line. And if they did… they would probably pop off way too soon for you to worry about anything. These guys at the car show are a different group. There are some big wigs from the corporate offices, away from home, if you know what I mean, and then there are the franchise types. They're a wild card and some are creepy all over the place."

Penny did not like what she was hearing. "Look… Sheila… I'm not some back woods wall flower… I can take care of myself."

Sheila was surprised by the remark. "Penny, I'm not saying things will happen, you just need to watch out. The money would be pretty good, better than comic con and the work is about the same. This year they are putting a lot of girls with the cars, kinda like they did back in the 60's. It's a lot of point and smile stuff."

Penny smiled. "Thanks Sheila, I'll watch out. Anyway… if the auditions work out, I won't have to think about it. When is the audition?"

Sheila was quick with the answer. "Well, there doing them over the next two days, but these things always seem to be better if you are in the first group".

As Penny put her phone down, Leonard came to sit next to her and saw the look on her face. "What was that about?"

Penny looked into his eyes and held his hands. "Promise you won't be mad?"

Leonard smiled. "I promise, now what's up"?

Penny smiled. "Sheila thinks that I could get a part in the chorus of a real Broadway show".

Leonard pulled her in for a hug. "That's great! But why the look?"

Penny put both hands on Leonard's chest. "The auditions are the next two days and Sheila says the best shot is to get in on the early ones".

Leonard reached for his Lap Top that he took with him to the lecture.

Penny questioned. "What are you doing?"

Leonard smiled back. "You came on an open ended ticket. I think we need to find you a flight back tomorrow".

Penny threw her arms around Leonard's neck. "Sweetie, you're the best. Just you wait till I get you in bed tonight. I owe you SO much."

Leonard could hardly type fast enough looking at the smile he was getting from his girlfriend as she winked at him and bit her bottom lip. Leonard gulped hard and focused all his efforts on his lap top.

Penny slowly got up from the couch and pulled her top over her head throwing it aside with the things Leonard had placed around the apartment. Penny then dropped her shorts and kicked them aside, unclasped her bra and threw it in Leonard's direction. It landed square on the keyboard in front of him. She then stepped out of her panties and stood in the doorway to the bedroom twirling them on one finger with her other arm over her head holding onto the doorframe. She stood there with one leg bent at the knee and gave him an air kiss as she winked at him.

Leonard quickly scanned the flights and picked one. He wasn't really concerned about any of the flight details. He wanted this task to be over. A bead of sweat rolled down the side of his temple as he put in his Charge card number.

Penny turned and sauntered into the bedroom giving Leonard a full view of her naked body, her hips swaying ever so slightly and seductively.

Leonard quickly shut the laptop and then jumped over the back of the couch practically tripping on the clothes on the floor as he went after Penny into her bedroom.


	34. Chapter 34

**OK... This is VERY M... If you don't care for that sort of thing, skip this chapter...**

**Penny and Leonard have been trying to sync up their relationship. There have been fits and starts for many reasons. They just need to stop trying so hard and just concentrate on each other...**

**Still own nothing**

As Penny entered her bedroom, followed by the ever eager Leonard, she had decided that they should try something different. They had tried as best they could to satisfy each other as they did before she left for New York. Every time they did, something seemed to be not quite right. Their timing was off. Each of them was satisfied, and they truly longed for each other, but there was a tension in their movements that was increasingly disturbing to each of them even if in the end, they were satisfied. Penny turned and waited for Leonard to enter the room. She immediately stopped him in his tracks. "Leonard, do you trust me?"

Leonard was breathing slightly heavy from his short sprint into the bedroom after jumping over the couch and navigating the perilous pile of clothes he had strewn about. "Umm… sure?"

Penny smiled. "It's not a test Leonard. Don't be afraid. We have been trying too hard. Let's try something different".

Leonard gulped. "O-Kay?"

Penny giggled as she brought Leonard to the side of the bed. She let him stand there and look on what he could only describe as her magnificent naked form. He tried to imprint every curve every nuance of her into his mind. "Leonard, first, you're mine. You can't do anything to me unless you are told to. I promise that I will be gentle…. To a point…." Penny removed Leonard's clothes as he stood perfectly still. As he stood before her completely naked and fully aroused, Penny stared at him imprinting his features in her mind as he had done to hers. "When I am finished, I will let you have me and I will do whatever you want. Also to a point. I want this night to be one we both remember."

Leonard did nothing but stand and nod. Penny kissed Leonard on the lips and then down one side of his neck. She placed both palms of her hands on his chest and moved them up and down his chest, shoulders, arms and back. As she did so, her body came in contact with his and he shivered when that happened. Penny placed kisses all down his chest and on his stomach as she caresses his behind. As she moved down his body, she took him into with one hand and stroked gently as she caressed his upper thigh below his butt with the other hand. She pressed the inside of his thighs so to spread his legs. Penny ran her fingernails up the inside of his thighs and cupped him as she reached the top. As she stroked him, she could hear the moans softly coming from him. Penny moved around to his back and placed soft kissed on him as she caressed his manhood from behind. Leonard was quite simply weak in the knees. Penny felt him swoon and she stood behind him putting her arms around his waist and moving her hands up to his chest. She whispered in his ear. "Soon Baby… soon." Penny returned to face Leonard seeing his breathing become more rapid. She gently grasped him and he inhaled. Penny once again knelt before him stroking and kissing him, skilfully sucking and licking with her nimble tongue. Penny gently nibbled on him causing him to pull back. Penny then placed him between her breasts and let him rock back and forth. Leonard began to moan louder. Penny told Leonard to kneel before her. She turned around and bent over spreading her legs before him as she touched her toes. He could see that she was already warm and moist, ready for him whenever she wanted. It was all Leonard could do to control himself as she swayed her hips before him presenting herself to him. She turned to face him. Penny spoke softly. "It's Ok Sweetie. Go ahead if you're ready…. Go ahead." That was all Leonard needed to hear. He moaned loudly as Penny stood before him and pulled him up into a tight embrace finally stroking him until he spasmed in climax. Penny sat him down and gave him his inhaler which he eagerly took.

After a small rest where Penny passionately kissed him and caressed him, it was her turn.

She stood before Leonard smiling down at him. Leonard decided that this pose was not the way to start things off. Leonard stood, placing both hands on her face kissing her deeply. Leonard tilted her head exposing her neck. This was one of her most tender areas. Leonard softly kissed and nibbled on her neck down to her shoulders. Leonard took her shoulders in his hands and traced down her arms until he came to her hips. He placed his hands on her hips and then moved slowly upward along her sides until he was alongside her breasts. Leonard cupped her breasts and then softly messaged them, eliciting moans from her. He then bent down to take her nipple into his mouth nibbling, causing her to inhale sharply. Leonard continued to the other breast as he caressed her perfect bottom. Slowly, Leonard made his way down her stomach. Automatically, Penny spread her legs hoping that he would soon help himself to her. Leonard did not disappoint. He knelt before her and messaged her inner thighs finding her already moist. With one hand, Leonard spread her and exposed her most sensitive spot. She softly called his name. Leonard proceeded to enter her with two fingers causing her to tighten around him while he also messaged her sensitive spot and kissed her below her navel. Penny was not as controlled as Leonard was. She grabbed his head and ran her fingers through his hair holding him to her. Leonard thought he was losing control so he stood up and moved behind her. His erection had returned by this time and he placed himself directly behind her messaging one breast while keeping the other hand between legs. Penny tilted her head exposing the side of her neck which Leonard quickly approached nibbling and sucking. Penny moaned covering his hand on her breast and assisting him between her legs. She then bent forward slightly pressing her behind into him capturing him between her to tease him. Leonard stroked harder as Penny breathed heavily. Penny continued to message one breast while she held Leonard's other hand near her sensitive spot as Leonard thrust two fingers deep into her causing her to immediately stiffen in orgasm, waves of ecstasy rushing over her. Leonard turned her around and she immediately kissed him thrusting her tongue into his mouth.

Penny had felt that Leonard had recovered from her efforts and she, being a woman was not finished with her pleasure. The two lovers that were missing on almost every attempt to please their partner fell to the bed, now fully embracing each other, taking in each other, feeling closer that they had in quite some time. Their caresses started softly but gained in intensity. Leonard needed no prodding. He entered her with moans of acceptance from each of them. Penny quickly matched his rhythm intensifying their efforts. They were performing like a fine tuned orchestra. Each movement by Leonard countered and enhanced by Penny until each could feel their partner in a way they had known before and had longed for in the most recent months. Penny went first, spasming around Leonard which caused him to quickly follow, each of them falling limp within the grasp of the other. Leonard softly rubbed along Penny's side as he rolled to face her. Penny kissed him gently before turning away from him so he could place his arm over her. They remained in this position, Leonard tracing small circles on her stomach as she felt his warm breath on her neck. This was as it should be. Penny fell asleep happy at last. Leonard waited for the telltale signed of her soft snores that were like music to his ears before he too drifted off to sleep.


	35. Chapter 35

**Back to New York for Penny**

**I guess Sheila is mine.. nothing else**

The next morning, both Penny and Leonard woke at almost the same time, each of their eyes fluttering open as they faced each other. Penny smiled broadly, "Hey you…"

Leonard immediately placed a soft kiss on her lips. "We need to get up and get ready. You're flight for New York is leaving early. Your audition is this afternoon."

Penny frowned. "I don't want to leave you. What do you say, I fold you up and pack you in my overhead bag… you're small…"

Leonard smiled. "Ha…Ha… I can't go, I have to discuss the problems with the data with Pence".

Penny picked up her head and rested it on her hand looking down at Leonard. "OK… I don't want to leave YOU…. Alone… with… HER".

Leonard put a hand to Penny's face. "You have nothing to worry about… I only want to be with you". He then pulled her in for a kiss.

Penny pulled back and smiled, "Good save Hofstadter…" she then pulled the covers over them.

* * *

A while later, Leonard is standing by the door, holding Penny's luggage looking back into the apartment. "Penny… we have to get going…"

Penny rushes out of the bedroom tucking her shirt into her pants. "I know… I know… where are my shoes…?"

Leonard laughs slightly. "Right here, and they barely can be classified as shoes. You're lucky Sheldon isn't coming… he would lecture you on attempting to be yet another flip flop fatality."

Penny rushed past Leonard after slipping on her flip flops. "C'mon… we're gonna be late".

* * *

After a hurried drive to the airport, and something just short of a mad dash to the departures area, Penny turned and placed both arms around Leonard's neck, leaning her forehead on his. "I don't know why this is so hard… I'm gonna miss you even more and I hate that".

Leonard leaned and gently kissed her. "That's the only thing I have working in my favor. Now go and knock em dead on that audition and make me proud".

Penny sat in her seat terribly sad about leaving Pasadena again but hopeful that she would get the part in the play. An actual Broadway Play! She hadn't gotten much sleep the night before, a detail that brought a smile to her face, so she reclined her seat as best she could and leaned to look out the window. She drifted off to sleep in just a few minutes.

* * *

Leonard got back to the apartment after letting Penny off, thinking all the way home how he hoped that things would go well for her. He pulled into the parking lot at Los Robles and trudged up the stairs to the fourth floor. Once in the hallway between their apartments, Leonard glanced over to 4B knowing full well that the apartment was in a state of disarray due to the activities of the night before and the rather quick encore this morning. Leonard smiled to himself, turned around and proceeded to enter 4A.

Sitting in his chair was Pence. Each time Leonard had seen her, she was perfectly dressed and put together, even when she was in her robe the other morning. It was one of the things Leonard thought a bit peculiar about her. She was like someone clipped from Glamour Magazine. This afternoon, however, what he walked into was a Blonde with her hair in a hastily gathered lose bun, dressed in a loose pair of sweat pants, an oversized sweat shirt that bore the name Chelsea Football and bare feet with her legs crossed and a lap top open on her lap. She had a pencil askew in her hair and an open note pad.

Leonard took a double check look at the girl sitting in his chair. Pence looked up through her glasses and smiled. "Have you packed that lovely girl away to New York?"

Leonard shook his head just a bit as he walked past over to the refrigerator for a bottle of water. "Yes, she is going to call when she gets in. What are you working on?"

Pence uncrossed her legs and walked over to the breakfast bar with the lap top and accepted a water bottle from Leonard. "Just going over some of the data. To be frank, I'm not very good at this sort of thing. You seem to pick up on the anomalies much quicker than I could."

Leonard smiled, "It's not really that hard." Leonard walked around behind her and pointed over her shoulder at some of the figures, explaining the small variations. Pence looked interested, but as Leonard got into his explanation, she seemed to get lost in his words. Pence smiled as she took a sideways look at Leonard, making note as to how close he was standing to her.

* * *

Penny landed in New York and decided to take a taxi home. She was a little worried about the price, but Leonard had given her some cash so she wouldn't have to worry, and she would get home quicker. She unloaded her bag at the curb of her apartment and went straight up. She wanted to see if there were any more details on the part for the show.

Penny opened her lap top looking for any mail from Sheila. Finding none, she decided to give her a call. Sheila answered the phone a little short of breath. "H.. Hello?"

Penny had heard this kind of response before. "Sheila… it's Penny… am I interrupting something?"

Sheila gathered herself together and tried to be a little more composed taking a deep breath. "Penny… no… everything is good… I just ran up the stairs".

Penny giggled. "Yeah…. Right… I'll be short and let you get back to your stairs…. Anything new about the show audition?"

Sheila giggled back, "Not really… just show up as early as you can. They won't be tired of looking at anybody yet."

There was a bit of rustling and then a man's voice. "Hey sweetheart… if you're gonna be a while, I'm getting a beer, you want anything?"

Sheila put her hand over the phone "Shut up will you?" She returned her attention to the phone and Penny. "You'll be great. They'll be doing the auditions in groups to see how you sound in chorus. You better get going. So… just have a good time…"

Penny was absolutely mortified. "Oh my GOD… I'm so sorry… Wait a minute… who was that? He sounded familiar…"


	36. Chapter 36

**Own very little**

**Penny has her audition and calls home to check in**

Sheila quickly hung up her phone leaving Penny staring at the blank screen on her phone. She didn't really have any time to worry about what she was interrupting or who she was interrupting because she really needed to get to the audition. Penny rushed down to the street and hailed a cab. The subway was going to take too long and she wanted to give herself the best chance she could.

Penny arrived at the theater in time for the last group of the first of four auditions. There were four groups in each session, so she was happy that she made the effort to get there early. The group she was in looked like it was with a few girls she knew from other auditions so she even felt a little more comfortable. Penny picked up the sheet music and another sheet with some lines. She went over to the side to try to memorize as best she could.

As it turned out, there was going to be some choreography with the scene and the group all stood. The choreographer explained the steps that were going to be needed. Penny hadn't done anything like this since she had to learn a new routine for cheerleading so many years ago. Thankfully for her, she always seemed to catch on quicker than the other girls.

After a few run-throughs, the girls did the routine. The choreographer chose three girls and thanked them for coming. He was polite, but they were clearly off a step or two. Penny was a little more relaxed seemingly passing the first of the trials. She immediately thought back to when Leonard explained how Leonard actually had to pass three sets of hurdles in order for Sheldon to let him be his roommate. She giggled to herself. After a short rest, the director came out and wanted the girls to read the lines they had been given. Penny's turn came third in line. She had a little extra time to reread her lines and thought she had them down pretty good.

The director explained the scene setup and then let the girls recite their lines. The director then picked two girls and again they were thanked for coming. Penny did a small fist pump and thought to herself, "Yes!"

The director and one of the producers came over to the last group of four girls and explained that they were only in the first group of auditions.. They explained how there were going to be three more groups over the next two days and they would be notified if they would need to come back for a second round. Each of them thanked the director, choreographer and the producer, giving them their contact information and then leaving to go home.

Penny was so excited that she had made it into a group that might have a chance to be in the show she could hardly breathe. She literally skipped all the way home to her apartment. She opened her door and plopped down on her couch. Penny immediately called home to Pasadena. She was so excited and she wanted to tell Leonard how it went. She wanted him to be proud of her and couldn't wait to hear the excitement in his voice when she told him.

Penny pressed the speed dial number one and the phone started to ring. When she heard the phone get answered she immediately blurted out, "Oh my god Leonard, it went so good…. There were lines to read and we had to do a dance routine…" All the time she had this amazing smile on her face.

Just then, she heard on the other side, in a proper English accent, "That's sounds just wonderful darling. Leonard stepped out to fetch a bite to eat and forgot to take his phone along".

Penny was surprised by Pence's voice answering Leonard's phone. "Oh… um… OK… well, just tell him I called and he can call me back when you aren't busy". She then hung up her phone and stared into her empty apartment. "Fudge!"

* * *

Leonard stepped into the room with the usual bag of food, walking over to the kitchen to start unpacking. Sheldon came out of his bedroom and stood by asking the usual questions.

"Did you get the chicken diced rather than shredded?"

Yes

"Even though it specifically says shredded?"

Yes

"Did you get the hot mustard?"

Yes

"Low sodium soy sauce?"

Yes

"Brown rice, not white?"

Yes

"Thank you"

Pence just looked on in amazement at the ritual. She was not particularly fond of Chinese food but had been lectured by Sheldon on the schedule for dinners if she insisted on staying in the apartment. Leonard just shrugged in response to her stare.

Leonard opened a second bag and removed an order of fried fish and fries which he had picked up from Lucky Baldwin's, a nearby Irish pub. He was rather pleased with himself being that the fish was batter fried like the ones he had when he was over in England. Pence smiled at the effort and placed a small kiss on his cheek as a thank you.

Leonard blushed slightly as he cleared his throat, looking over to Sheldon who had noticed the exchange and had a disapproving look on his face. Leonard quickly brought a plate of food over to his chair as Pence followed him and sat at the end of the couch away from Sheldon who was, as always, in his spot.

After a polite conversation over dinner Sheldon excused himself indicating that he was turning in for the night. He then gave Leonard a stare that Leonard had learned over the years that indicated he was in some way being either judged, or chastised. It was a look that Leonard had endured many times throughout his childhood from his mother.

Leonard finished picking up the dishes with Pence's help and bid Sheldon the requisite good night. He then turned to Pence and smiled. "I…. I guess that I should be going".

Pence smiled you really don't have to darling, but if you think you must, we can continue our work in the morning…. There was something Dr. Hawking wanted to discuss…Oh..., with all the pomp at the delivering of dinner..., I forgot to tell you… Penny called to tell you something about reading lines. You forgot your phone when you were out getting the take away… so I picked it up and answered... She indicated that you could give her a ring when we weren't busy."

Leonard almost dropped his eye teeth. "Oh my god… OK… well… this was nice… um… I'll see you in the morning then…. Um… bye… for now…" Leonard then rushed over to the door and left the apartment and made his way over to 4B.


End file.
